Tide and Shore, Wind and Sea
by Milk and Marshmallows
Summary: Living aboard the Flying Battery under Eggman's watchful eye, the newly awakened Shadow seeks purpose, friendship, and an answer to his questions. Stuck between loyalty to the Doctor and a desire to aid his new friends, Shadow must choose between the safety of his own future, and the greater good of a dilapidated world.
1. Chapter 1

****A mixture of Sonic universes old and new, but predominately based around the world of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, this story sees the rise of an Empire, the rebirth of an old weapon, and the final retaliation of a hero.

**AN: **Hi there! This is the first of a three part story which will be updated as I go. Initially I wanted to wait until it was all finished before uploading, but by now this damn thing has been stuck in my head for long enough! Concrit is always appreciated and I will likely go back and revise small parts as I go along, mistakes and inconsistencies and so on. This will take some time to complete, but I do hope you enjoy what I have so far and stick along for the ride. Thanks!

* * *

Prologue

* * *

"Doctor, are you… absolutely sure this is a wise idea?"

"Of course I am."

"But… y- your grandfather explicitly said that Project Shadow wasn't to be activated again, didn't he?"

A black ear flicked up at the sound of his name, as did crimson eyes. From where he stood in the corner of the office, the dark hedgehog watched in silence as the Doctor turned sharply away from the window and glanced, smirking, at the worried-looking man standing by his desk.

"Shadow," the Doctor then began, rather matter-of-factly, "is going to be a very valuable asset with regard to the construction of this ship- and indeed, the world as we know it! I've already assessed the possibility of a rebuttal and it's unlikely that he's going to cause many problems in the long run. _Extremely_ unlikely, in fact."

This didn't seem to quell the man's worry, who looked over to the hedgehog in question before setting both hands down rather heavily onto the Doctor's desk, leaning forward as if to negotiate, or perhaps plead. The man was probably in his early to mid-fifties, but his weathered appearance and ruffled grey hair aged him by at least ten years. Age, tiredness and a cynicism born from many broken promises made by the Doctor was reflected in watery eyes, a grey-blue colour that was clear as glass. "But how can you be so sure of that?" the man questioned desperately. "Project Shadow was created as a weapon, Doctor, a weapon by a… by a scientist gone mad! Surely no amount of modification can change what he actually _is?_"

Deep red eyes flicked between the straight, army-like stature of the man and the rotund, moustached form of the Doctor standing only a few feet away from him. Black goggles hid the slight frown which contorted his features at the mention of a 'mad scientist', but otherwise, Eggman retained his casual optimism, and merely smiled. "The hedgehog's memory has been wiped clean, General," was his offhand reply, and he waved his hand dismissively. "Obliterated, if you will. The procedure was excruciatingly thorough for him and I can guarantee that he does not, and will not, remember _anything_ before today. Nothing that was of any importance, at any rate. Gerald Robotnik – my grandfather - should be the one person he remembers."

Shadow remained silent and attentive. He was listening to this conversation intently and was certainly very much aware that he was the topic of their discussion. But nothing that they were saying about him really registered. Even as the Doctor then looked over to Shadow and grinned a sly, would-be suspicious grin, red eyes could only look back at him blankly. "Isn't that right, Shadow?"

Shadow thought, and felt, nothing. He recognised that he was being asked a question, and gave a small nod in response. "Yes," was his flat answer. Shadow made no other sound or movement. He'd been quiet for the entirety of their meeting as a matter of fact. Perhaps he should have felt something at the Doctor's mention of having his memory wiped, but even the words 'Gerald Robotnik' conjured only a vague image of a very old man, and no real feelings of recognition.

Even with this reassurance, however, and Shadow's seemingly calm exterior, the General did not look any less worried. Eggman stepped up to his side, then, and slapped a reassuring hand against his back. "I am not the same as my grandfather, General," he stated proudly, a note of cunning in his voice. "I am more, much more than him. How else would I have been able to construct this much without the help of the government? This world would been ruined beyond all help had I not stepped in all those years ago!"

At that, the General glanced to the floor, thinking, comprehending, regretfully acknowledging the Doctor's words. "Indeed, you have come very far in a very small amount of time," he was forced to admit, quietly.

"Without my development, the damage caused by Project Shadow so many years ago would have been irreversible… as I recall you saying." The Doctor's black eyes glinted, his red moustache bristling beneath a long grin.

"Yes. Yes, that's also true." What else could the older man say? Cornered by the Doctor's unfortunate truth, the General withered. "…Your grandfather and his creations left the world in a mess… it is you we have to thank for picking up the pieces when the world no longer believed in their government… in us. "

Something in Shadow prickled briefly, some kind of sensation along his spine. Apparently he had caused damage? Without thinking, the hedgehog glanced down to his gloved hands, observing the lines of his palms, the fabric creasing as he flexed his fingers. Had he really, in a past time, been the cause of destruction? It was not something Shadow could fathom, no matter how hard he tried to remember, and so his hands dropped, and his eyes lifted back to watch the two grown men at the desk.

"Well, then!" Eggman laughed heartily, hoping to prevent any more long spiels about his grandfather's past. "Don't underestimate me, General. And more importantly, don't let your trivial worries about an older mistake – indeed, a _hedgehog_ of all things – stop GUN from investing in the Enterprise." Another reassuring slap followed this. "It's for global benefit, after all! All I need are just those external power sources, and development can begin once again!"

The General blinked at this, jolted out of worry as he was suddenly reminded of why he had been invited onto the Wing Fortress in the first place – to discuss GUN's co-operation in the rotund scientist's new scheme. Smiled, somewhat sadly, as he faced the Doctor and nodded his hesitant consent. "Ah, yes. Of course. Forgive me for questioning you, Doctor…"

"Not at all, not at all… it's understandable, I suppose. Now, about those chaos emeralds…"

As their discussion fell quietly into the final negotiations, Shadow allowed his attention to wander elsewhere – namely to the window beside him, where an orange sunset was casting a giant oil refinery in soaring black silhouettes, far off in the distance. Smoke poured out from the tops of shadowed pipes, steel-grey plumes rolling amidst clouds breaking over the setting sun, with the water around the refinery seemingly darkened despite the sun's reflection.

Shadow stared, lost for a moment in the striking colours. It was only the second time he had seen a sunset, and the vision of smoke from the refinery and the sun casting its pumpkin light over the sea almost looked like a still image. It was a beautiful picture, Shadow could certainly recognise that. And yet the sight of it, of smoke drifting over the half-set-sun, of black and orange so bright and dark in contrast left something inexplicably heavy inside him. An awful weight. An ominous feeling, which Shadow - being entirely new to this world – could not place. How could a sight so beautiful leave him feeling this way? It WAS beautiful, wasn't it?

Perhaps because there was nothing in front of the refinery but sea. Miles and miles, hundreds of miles of sea. A long, rippling stretch of water interrupted only by the black-silhouette oil refinery on the edge of the horizon. There was nothing beyond the refinery and nothing before it. Perhaps it was simply a few stray emotions confused after his awakening, churning around inside him, trying to find their rightful place.

Somehow, though again he could not place it, the sight of it bothered Shadow immensely. As though there was nothing, nothing but darkness to be seen ahead of them. His brows knotted together in a small, slight frown, still staring intensely at the view until the humans spoke up once again and broke him from his thoughts.

"Right, well then, if all the papers have been signed and settled… I will have the troops deliver the emeralds straight onto the deck for you tomorrow. As you know it's…. risky and I'm still not 100%, but I'm going to trust in you, Doctor."

The two men shook hands. Black ears flicked up and Shadow glanced back toward them, watching the older man smile weakly at the Doctor. Though their discussion had certainly concerned Shadow, it had not really been of concern to him on any sort of emotional level at all. The Doctor had already explained what was going to be happening, so whatever they discussed was really of no importance to the dark hedgehog.

_The time will come, Shadow, when I will require your assistance for the benefit of this world, _the Doctor had told Shadow, but a few minutes after his awakening. _You have been sealed away for a very long time, but the time has come, now, to put you to full use – something that my grandfather, and your creator, never managed to do.. correctly, at least._

_As such I will be bringing you with me onto my fortress, the Flying Battery, though it's nowhere near completion and I'm counting on you very much to provide help to the others working there. You see… the outside world isn't prepared for you yet…. Nor, for that matter, is it in any real state for any sort of inhabitation. So for now, working with me is going to be your primary objective until other things have settled. Is that clear enough for you?_

The Doctor had been clear in his words but Shadow had struggled to understand what was meant behind them. He was on a planet known as earth, he was with someone he considered to be a relative, and apparently his purpose for existence was in the process of being realised. He had not been awakened without meaning, and so, Shadow was content to just accept everything he had been told even if he did not understand what, exactly, his purpose pertained to. He was new to this, after all. And all he could remember before now was the faint image of the earth from space, from the place he had originally been born in, and an old, sad, dying man who he presumed had been his creator.

There was a part of him, however, which couldn't help wondering as he looked out across the sea… exactly what had happened to the world – seemingly peaceful aside from the far-off refinery – that had made it so apparently uninhabitable? He had seen nothing of it for himself, yet; his bright red eyes had barely been open for 48 hours. All Shadow had seen so far had been the abandoned storage room from where he had awakened, the corridors leading up to Eggman's office, and then, the view from this window. Aside from the faded memories visible only to his mind's eye, Shadow had no idea what the world, outside this little sphere the Doctor had shown him, looked like.

It was not his place to question just yet, though. As it was programmed into him, Shadow had no choice but to accept what he had been told, and nod along obediently to everything the Doctor said. The personality still lost in decades of stasis and in the obliteration of all Shadow's previous memory was yet to break out, leaving the black hedgehog content in his quiet acceptance. Questions could come later, once he understood exactly what was going on.

"Then for now, General, let's head over to the Battery, shall we?" the Doctor then suggested, the hand on the older man's back guiding them both toward the door of the office. He paused then, turned around and gestured for Shadow to join them. The black hedgehog did so without a word, casting one last glance to the sea and sky and darkness, and then he stepped up to the humans, both his expression and demeanour neutral.

The worried blue-grey eyes belonging to the General met the unblinking, unfeeling red of Shadow, and the two simply looked at one another for one silent moment before the Doctor stepped between them. "Come now, you two, it'll take an hour or so and as I'm sure you well know I am a very busy man!"

With that, the Doctor hurried them out, and as Shadow followed quickly behind them, the General did not look back at the black hedgehog again.


	2. Chapter 2

This new world seemed to be full of endless corridors. They had travelled in what Shadow had assumed to be a plane, after he and the General had been led through the Wing Fortress, through corridor after corridor in passageways becoming smaller and smaller until they had entered a container, of sorts, with blacked out windows. The Doctor and General had disappeared through a steel door and into an apparent cockpit, and though Shadow had glimpsed through it there was only a split second of darkening sky and the control panel of the plane visible, before the door was closed, and he was left standing in cargo.

There were no windows to look out of as they had all been completely blacked out, leaving Shadow sitting in darkness until the machine started up, the sound of whirring propellers making the floor beneath him shudder, and then the ceiling lights came on to show a row of seats along each side of the small fuselage.

Shadow sat quietly, gloved fingers outstretched on the soft leather either side of him and his eyes were stuck on the empty seats on the opposite side of him. From what he could gather, the Wing Fortress was the airship they had been on before, and they were now travelling in a different plane, onto another airship called the Flying Battery.

The Flying Battery was under heavy construction judging from the way Eggman had spoken of it and was supposedly stationary- though Shadow was not sure what _he_ had to do with it. Eggman had requested his help, and as a relative, that was absolutely fine… but with what? Shadow couldn't understand exactly what was being asked of him, except possibly for compliance and a willingness to trust and follow the Doctor's lead. Perhaps he wanted Shadow to help with construction? Not that he'd mentioned anything about construction… but then, Eggman hadn't mentioned anything specific about anything.

In retrospect, he had actually left a lot of things in his welcome-to-the-world explanation really quite vague. Shadow did not mind it, however. It at least gave him something to think about as they approached the Battery. What would it be like there? When was he expected to start work? Whatever kind of work it turned out to be, Shadow decided whilst he sat alone in the quiet darkness of this plane that having any kind of purpose, even one that was vague and somewhat dependent, was better than having no purpose at all.

Though still, the image of that black and orange sunset lingered, overshadowing his thoughts, and for a moment Shadow's eyebrows crossed into a contemplative frown.

By the time they landed an hour or so later, it had felt to Shadow as though they hadn't moved at all, and when the two men came out from the cockpit they simply led Shadow through yet another connecting corridor – one, in fact, which looked exactly the same as the others they had strolled through on their way out of the Wing Fortress in the first place. It wasn't until they'd been walking for about ten minutes when the endless corridor opened out into something which left red eyes wide, both he and the General stunned and halted as the oblivious Doctor carried on chatting. He turned after a moment or two, wondering where the sound of footsteps on glass flooring had gone, and burst out in cackling laughter at the looks of surprise.

"Now now, General, you should know much better than to look so _surprised!_" Eggman laughed, stepping up to the other man with a grin. "There has only been one project more important than this one over the last however many years, you know. Well… not that you _would_ know."

The General faltered, nodding distractedly at Eggman while grey eyes flitted here and there, trying to take in the huge hallway they had stepped out into. And it was _huge_. Apparently the primary hall of the ship, which led onto all other floors, all the other important parts of the Battery. The walls seemed to be made of coloured carbon- lilac, oddly enough, perhaps to compliment the oddly orange flooring. The flat walls had encased within them hundreds of large tanks, all connected by winding carbon tubes and all covered in matching orange windows. They appeared to be holding some kind of orange liquid, perhaps a kind of fuel, perhaps something else. In the distance, what seemed to be further along the massive hallway in the darker crevices of the ceiling, were dark blue walls. Tubes and pipes were cascading through them not unlike veins, metal and glass and steel all the colour of rich moss flowing right through beneath the orange floor beneath the three of them like roots. It produced a green checked pattern in the flooring, though whether the green was simply style or another sort of liquid was anyone's guess.

As he led his guests through the hall, the level of activity and Eggman's technical skill became gradually more apparent. Small elevation platforms were scattered around working seemingly only on pressurized air, small propellers the only thing keeping the platforms afloat even when laden with equipment. It was rather fascinating to watch, if rather confusing for the poor General, looking this way and that in a likely attempt to figure out how everything around the Battery was working.

Steel machines were everywhere too, pumps and pistons and the constant clicking and grinding of wheels, cogs, the most basic of structures which seemed to be acting as the Battery's heart, keeping electricity going throughout the hallway and, likely, throughout the rest of the ship too. Hanging above in the high roof were a series of strange spherical conveyer belts held up by nothing but thin air, carrying unidentifiable boxes across until a claw overhanging from the other side of the wall picked them up, transporting them out of sight through a mesh cylinder.

There was an occasional rumbling whirr coming from magnets built into the mechanisms, walls and ceilings, which Shadow assumed to be the only explanation for the conveyor belts and elevation platforms, though the magnets themselves looked more as though they were electrical currents. And as the three of them walked, they had to keep sidestepping due to the unexplained and erratically placed steel spikes jutting out of the flooring. "Just a precautionary measure," Eggman had muttered almost to himself, unabashed when the General nervously asked what purpose they served. To Shadow, it was just another of the Doctor's secrets.

Every surface was polished, the machinery was brushed grey steel in contrast to the bright colours of the walls and flooring, and no trace of rust could be seen in any of the hydraulics. Strange as it all seemed, everything was pristine, and apparently in top working order. Aside from the mechanics of the place, there was a general rush of activity as people – or rather, creatures akin to Shadow, the hedgehog noted with perked ears – seemed to be appearing from every lift and corridor leading to and from the hallway. From what Shadow picked out, they appeared to be no more than nondescript workers; many were carrying boxes similar to the ones being transported overhead, or various other bare machine parts, wrenches, hammers and the like. There seemed to be a group of them appearing from one of the larger lifts off to the right, workers furred in blue, orange and pink skittering along and chatting quite loudly amongst themselves – until, Shadow noticed, they caught sight of the Doctor and immediately fell silent. Shadow watched as they slowed their pace, still heading over to the other side while staring in Eggman's direction, and the black hedgehog caught sight of the blue creature who seemed to be leading them.

They were quite far away, but the eyes which caught Shadow's were a remarkably bright shade of green. In an instant they were gone, however, having disappeared down a small stairway and leaving Shadow still watching after them, taking an involuntary step toward them. The Doctor hadn't seemed to notice, too busy explaining the various functions of the ship and how this was only a tiny part of the vessel as a whole.

Considering it was only about five per cent of the Flying Battery, being so suddenly introduced to such a finely constructed and yet still under construction hallway such as this was breath-taking. Stopping suddenly as though they had arrived at their destination, though it was really just next to an elevation platform leading up, Eggman extended his arms out as if to say _yes, look, feast your eyes upon my creations,_ and beneath jet black glasses his eyes glittered with pride. It didn't matter that they couldn't see this, though; the pride was reflected in the Doctor's beaming face, arms stretching out, silently asking the two of them to admire and observe all he had done. The ship, evidently, though neither the General nor Shadow had even seen it fully, was of a scale they couldn't fully realise. Considering the mechanical nature of the Battery, it seemed as though the Doctor was at least fond of adding some interesting colour and design to the structure, however. Shadow decided he preferred it to the mostly-grey interior of Wing Fortress.

"Shadow!" Eggman exclaimed, then, making the black hedgehog jolt slightly. "This Battery is going to be your new home for quite some time now."

"I see."

"Yes. Yes you do." The large man turned his back on his guests and made an abrupt ninety degree turn to the left, leading them down a narrow and somewhat concealed set of stairs. In fact the stairs only seemed to appear from the walls when Eggman's foot came out to step on them. Shadow glanced upward at the long rectangular hooks dangling above their heads, noting that they were yet another oddity in this bewildering mechanical cavern, and then faced down, following the two men. "I spent many years planning this vessel and even more processing those plans and constructing it." The General prickled and yelped suddenly on their way down, as a blue dome-shaped cleaning bot scurried beneath his feet. The Doctor ignored him and carried on.

"Though it is not Flying yet, as the name may otherwise have you believe, it _is_ one of the largest sources of power in the world, right now. Or it will be, anyway, the instant those emeralds are delivered and put into place. And then, once the ship is airborne…" Eggman briefly trailed off, his head tilted slightly up as the image of an airborne Battery filled his mind. "_Finally, _after all these years we will be able to locate the Angel Island and take back what is rightfully _ours_…." He uttered, his smile curling around the words as though he was thinking of paradise.

Shadow's ears perked at this and he stared over the General's red caped shoulder at the Doctor. He wasn't talking to Shadow, but this was the most Eggman had said about… well, anything really, and it had caught his attention. While the General just seemed to nod along skittishly to everything Eggman was saying, Shadow stepped up beside the weary man to listen in. The Doctor's voice had quietened as though he was talking to himself again. "Yes, Angel Island… The source of everything, which will surely renew and restore our beautiful earth back to how it used to be so many years ago…."

This was a location Shadow had not heard before and, actually, the only location which seemed to exist on earth aside from the Doctor's airships. "Angel Island?" he asked simply, joining the humans on level steps so he could look between them.

"I will explain to you later and in much greater detail, but for now all you need to know it is _my_ primary objective to find Angel Island," was the simple answer Shadow got in return. Eggman flashed him a toothy grin, and reached out to lightly pat the black hedgehog's head. "Just keep that in mind for the moment, hm?"

Shadow said nothing, satisfied with the answer, though his ears dipped and he stared back at the Doctor without returning the smile or any other words. Something niggled at the hedgehog, telling him that that sort of 'petting' wasn't something he enjoyed, and the momentary scowl from before briefly crossed over his brows. The hand was removed from his head soon enough. It made a change from thinking and feeling nothing, at least.

Quietly the three of them kept walking, still glancing around at the constant movement of light and metal, magnetism and electronics. It was nothing but an entrance to the rest of the ship, but there was still a strange, electrical, utterly mystifying air to the place not only caused by the magical machinery. It made Shadow all the more curious, and the General all more the nervous, as though everything within the Battery – even the Battery itself- was somehow alive.

"Anyway…" The Doctor cleared his throat, and as soon as they'd reached the end of the stairwell he guided them onto an elevation pad leading even further down. "Please come now, both of you, there are still preparations to be made ready for the arrival of the emeralds tomorrow."

His companions stepped onto the pad with him and after a shuddering two seconds of nothing, gradually and with a soft whirr, the pad cut easily through the air and down through a metallic chute, the hall from which they came quickly fading out of view. For a while they stood in silence, as the descent took some time and it appeared the Doctor had nothing more to say. He seemed to enjoy simply basking in his own glory, in the creations he'd acquainted the General and Shadow with, and behind his black glasses Eggman's eyes closed in bliss.

The General looked as worried as ever, his mouth drawn down in an unhappy line and his forehead creasing up from the stress of his thoughts. Shadow watched him for a bit, then turned his silent gaze onto Eggman, and then to the walls quickly passing by them on their way down. Gradually the purple carbon walls transformed into the dark blue colour Shadow had seen further away in the previous hallway, only now they were patterned into a kind of net mesh, and every now and again Shadow was quite sure he could make out large capsules sunken into the walls, too. None of it really made any sense to him, but as it was the Doctor apparently it didn't have to. It made things more interesting to look at, anyway, and Shadow wasn't going to complain about something he knew nothing about.

When the platform came to a halt Eggman led them through to his personal quarters, providing fingerprint after fingerprint to allow them through each security gate. Eventually they reached a vastly more open and inviting area than the hall. Walls still of carbon were this time of a much brighter, cleaner cream colour, and with red upholstered furniture – plush and comfortable and really quite elaborate – Eggman had taken his two companions down to his living quarters and more personal offices. There was a chandelier lighting the oval shaped room they had stepped into from the final security gate, bookcases and framed paintings of abstract designs and old professors lining the cream walls, all embossed with small grey Eggman emblems. There were a couple of androids standing beside a gold framed door in front of them, one tall and golden and the other short and grey. They stood perfectly still, LED eyes unblinking, staring straight ahead.

"Shadow, you wait out here for a few minutes. We have some business to take care of before I can show you where you'll be living for the next… well, however long," Eggman told the hedgehog, turning his back on him as he began to guide the General toward a door framed in ruby. "My assistants will take care of you until then."

As he walked, the Doctor snapped his fingers. The sound resonated through the otherwise quiet hall, and suddenly the guarding robots' eyes blinked, readjusted, and both of them glared at Shadow without making any other sound or movement.

As inviting as the furniture looked, Shadow felt it probably wasn't his place to take a seat just yet, and stood beneath the chandelier, trying to avoid the bright glare of LED eyes burning into him. He hoped whatever negotiations were happening this time would not take too long, and for the first time in his short existence, Shadow began to feel nervous. _Perhaps_, he wondered,_ this is what it feels like to be the General._


	3. Chapter 3

"Now then, Shadow… as you are probably unaware of just how powerful these emeralds are, I am afraid that for the moment, it is much better if you refrain from coming here anymore after this visit. Unless, of course, I give you permission or actually require you to do so. I will, in time, but for now I don't want to expose you to too much chaos energy."

Shadow was almost too distracted to hear the Doctor, staring at the bright glow coming from the seven pillars in the small chamber they were standing in. Red, yellow, green, blue, light blue, purple and grey, each colour glimmering fantastically. The emeralds' iridescent light reflected from the steel walls lit the entire room in seven different hues from where they remained safely locked away in glass.

A large hand slapped down on Shadow's shoulder drew him from the beautiful glow, his eyes darting up to the jet black of the Doctor's glasses. He smiled. Shadow's ear flickered, and he nodded in delayed response to the Doctor's request.

"… I will, however, trust you enough to give you the key combination to this room, and to the rooms before it which keep this chamber hidden," the Doctor added, then, squeezing Shadow's shoulder in punctuation.

A scowl passed over dark features. "I don't understand," Shadow said. "Is that necessary?"

Eggman blinked at the scowl, but then smiled. "It is. This emerald chamber is holding some of the most powerful objects in existence, Shadow, please try and understand this. They are not merely gems, they are not merely treasures sitting around here wasting space. They are sources of _unfathomable_ energy…" The Doctor stepped beside Shadow and bent his long legs slightly to look closer at the yellow emerald in front of them. He continued on quietly, leaning in a bit closer to the hedgehog so that he could lower his voice. "…especially when they are placed in the right hands, such as mine."

Shadow looked on at the yellow emerald for a moment, considering the Doctor's words, before he stepped out into the centre of the pillars, all of which were placed in a perfect circle around the room. They were connected from floor to ceiling, thick marble cylinders which had encased in the middle of them glass containers- and within those glass containers were the chaos emeralds. He glanced from pillar to pillar, his body turning slowly as he looked from blue to red to grey to purple, and back again. His fur, smooth and fine, felt as though it was standing on end the longer he stood there. Like the emanation coming from the emeralds was strong enough to hit him in waves.

Luckily, the Doctor's final chat with the General had not taken too much time and shortly after Shadow had been guided through that golden door, which led into the Doctor's living quarters, and from there, the guest space. He had then been shown around his new and rather modest living area for a few hours before being told that the Doctor would come to collect him at the same time the next day, and that for the moment, Shadow was to simply relax in his new home. He had not been allowed into the Doctor's side of the apartment just yet, and was left alone in an empty room consisting of a bed, a clean notepad sitting atop a glass desk, and a door which led to a small en-suite bathroom. Seeing as his only job was to wait until the next day, Shadow had figured the best thing to do was sleep.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting – or what Eggman had expected him to expect – when he was brought through the emerald framed door, to the left of the golden one. But Shadow definitely had not been expecting _this_. Once again, after several security gates, they had arrived at the entrance of this emerald chamber and as though he'd been hit by a bus, Shadow had felt the warm radiation of chaos energy just from standing outside. Suddenly breathless, he'd only been able to stand and keep himself steady, overwhelmed by the force of energy.

The effect of the radiation ebbed after a few minutes, while the Doctor entered an extremely long code to enter the chamber, and by the time he was done Shadow was ready to move inside. The only comparable experience had been standing on those elevators back in the main part of the Battery, but even that weightlessness was nothing in comparison to being hit with such strange chaos energy. The feeling, the energy, the sheer power was too much for Shadow to really comprehend.

"You, the General and I are now the only ones who even know where these emeralds are, now, let alone the key combinations. It's imperative, I might add, that it stays that way." Eggman began to slowly pace around the emeralds, though his eyes remained on Shadow. "There are many out there in the world who are after these emeralds. Think they know how to use them, think they – _they – _have the capacity to change things themselves. Idiots. All of them."

Shadow closed his eyes, ears flicking back as he listened. He allowed that warm energy to wash over him, losing focus on his surroundings and instead concentrating only on the colours in his mind, the gentle tingling all over his fur. Chaos emeralds… From the moment he had entered the room Shadow had barely been able to contain himself. It felt like he was so closely connected to the emeralds that he could just reach out and grab one, become one, fly through the room and through the ship and out into the open air, such was the immense force coming from the gems floating innocently in their glass prison. It was all at once a feeling both comforting and frightening; how could something be so familiar and yet make Shadow feel as though he was having some sort of... out of body experience?

"It's… strange," Shadow then began, softly, entirely out of the blue. "These emeralds are giving off more than just light, I know that, but… whatever it is… I can feel it strongly, throughout my entire body."

"Of course you can," Eggman said, grinning knowingly to himself. He stopped walking and stood in front of the hedgehog, who gradually turned to face him again, bright red eyes levelly meeting jet black as the Doctor knelt down. "This is exactly why I chose you."

Eggman tilted his head slightly, just so, making soft green light reflect off his glasses. "You see… there are very few people in this world who are capable of harnessing such immense power," the older man slowly continued. "And as you were _created_ with that power… there's no doubt in my mind that the time will come when you will be able to use these very emeralds yourself."

This really did capture Shadow's attention. Coming to, he stepped away from the centre, up until he was standing close in front of the Doctor still grinning down at him. "I was… I was made with these?" he asked, with just a faint hint of fear coming through an otherwise simple question. When the Doctor did nothing but nod, Shadow tried again, trying to pry more details. "What do you mean I was created with these, Doctor?" He couldn't help but look down at himself, at the tuft of white so out of place on his chest, the red stripes along his arms, his legs. His fur, while normally the darkest black, seemed to almost be…glowing? Alarmed by this sudden discovery, Shadow glanced up sharply and couldn't stop himself from asking, "Am… am I an emerald too?"

It was asked so seriously and with such worry, but Eggman couldn't help the burst of laughter and slap of the thigh which followed Shadow's genuine question. "REALLY, Shadow," he started, but had to pause for a moment to stop chuckling and compose himself. He peered right down close into Shadow's face, an eyebrow arched right up in amusement. "Do you LOOK like an emerald? Hm?"

Shadow's ears had pricked right back, unaccustomed to such an offensively loud sound coming from the Doctor. If he hadn't been acclimatising to the strange force field of chaos energy, Shadow probably would've been a lot more affronted and humiliated by the Doctor's response. But all he could manage was a slight frown, and another helpless glance down at himself. "No," Shadow then answered, turning slightly away from the Doctor. "No, I do not."

"Well then! Shadow, you know full well that you are not entirely organic. What I am _saying_ is that…your _creation _was partially the result of the transfer of chaos energy!" The Doctor ever so kindly offered him, though it was with some reluctance. Shadow did not notice, though, and turned to look back at the Doctor with a dead set stare. Eggman swallowed, and tried one last time. "Look, Shadow… I will explain. I will. But you are still young and things still need to be done, and… when the time comes, I _assure _you that I will tell you everything you wish to know."

And then the chamber fell into quietness. Shadow still had no idea what Eggman was alluding to. Everything about… well, _everything_ seemed incredibly vague, even now he was here, on this Flying Battery, with these emeralds. Chaos emeralds, Angel Island, Wing Fortress, a floating energy bunker, chaos energy which made up his entire being, obliterated worlds and the fragment of a faded memory and blackness in the distance and…

"When," the dark hedgehog then asked, frankly, "will that time come? Moreover will I have to wait until that time before you explain anything at all to me?"

He scowled up at the Doctor, suddenly finding that he was not at all intimidated by the flash in his eyes or the difference in height between them. Shadow calmly stood his ground, waiting for an answer. He had been very obedient until then after all and he had not enjoyed the Doctor's laughter, nor for that matter the patronising shoulder pats. For a moment he was only met with a brief silence from the other, before the sound of quieter, knowing cackling filled the room, only making the dark hedgehog's scowl deepen.

"Oh, come now, don't be that way!" Eggman barked out in laughter, beginning to pace again and throwing his arms out in a shrugging, careless gesture. "At this time if I were to tell you more, it would only confuse you. _Far_ too much for you to take in."

At that, something again kicked in at the back of Shadow's mind. He didn't like being spoken to like that, as though his question was to just be brushed aside. Not one bit. The words then came from his mouth before he could stop them, fists clenched slightly as he took a half step forward. "Says who? You're talking to me as if I were a _child_. I have a right to know what's going on!"

Finally this seemed to get through to the Doctor, both the offhand gestures and laughter coming to a halt. Shadow had lifted his hand to cover his mouth, feeling an instinctive, involuntary sort of guilt for speaking to a relative like that. It seemed to have the desired effect, though, as the smile disappeared and the Doctor faced him with a rather more serious, reasoning expression.

"Listen… Have a little faith, would you? And don't look like that. You've barely been on-board for a day and you expect to know everything when these things take _time_ to understand!" Eggman reasoned, and with a step as broad as a brush stroke he walked back over to the dark hedgehog, placing both hands on his shoulders this time, addressing him directly. "You need to know how things work here before I can let you know about the more… important things. It must be very confusing for you to have awoken in such a strange place, but I can assure you that it is for good reason. All of this, everything I am telling you, showing you, keeping from you- it is all for a _reason_, Shadow."

Red eyes looked up at the dark glasses facing him. Inexplicably, and just for a second, Shadow wished he was able to see past those blackened glasses. Eggman paused for a long and quiet moment, before he gave a long sigh and straightened his back once again.

"…I am Gerald Robotnik's grandson, Shadow. Always remember that. If you are to trust anyone in this world – any one person, in fact – I strongly suggest you put your faith into me."

The soft hum from the emeralds was the only sound to be heard in the chamber, reverberating from the walls and producing a soft echo in an otherwise silent place. The Doctor, Shadow had come to find, put a lot of expression into his voice. Into hand gestures, facial expressions, into physical movement which was easy to make out. And he knew, really, that what he was saying was true; if Shadow was to trust anyone it would have to be his one remaining link to Gerald, the name itself somehow providing a strange sort of comfort to the hedgehog. Comfort amidst a sea of chaos energy, helping to keep Shadow grounded even if he wasn't really aware of it.

The only thing that now bothered Shadow was being unable to see what was hidden behind those black glasses. It bothered him the same way that that still image from before – one as simple as black against the setting sun – had bothered him.

Nevertheless, feeling he had no choice, Shadow accepted it again.

"…All right."

Eggman's head tilted and that same old grin from before crawled back over his lips. "Good," he said. Good."

Quiet save for the humming resumed in the chamber once more. The Doctor allowed Shadow a few more minutes to admire the emeralds before he waltzed back over to the door and gestured for Shadow to follow.

"Now then… if you'd like to follow me, I think it's about time we took a tour around the deck. I'll explain to you how the emeralds work there, if you'd like."

Shadow couldn't stop himself from looking back, standing in the entrance again as Eggman entered the combination to lock the chamber door. "I would like that," Shadow answered, his eyes stuck on the green emerald before the steel door slid across, the beautiful colours of the emeralds abruptly replaced with the cold, hard metal of the gate. It reminded him of the green he'd seen, earlier, though not of the pipes and tubes of the hallway. The fleeting moment when he'd locked eyes with that scruffy looking creature who'd been half-hidden by the group. Another image Shadow could not forget, but for reasons he just could not pinpoint.

Eventually after the final door was closed and they were back in the hallway to Eggman's quarters, he offered Shadow an encouraging smile. "It will all be just fine, Shadow," he reaffirmed, just for good measure. Shadow nodded, and followed the Doctor back through the various security gates until they were heading back up to the main part of the Battery- the Great Hall, as it was called by the Doctor. It was apparently the dead of night however, or at least a time in which the workers of before were no longer scurrying around. The Battery was by no means lifeless, with machines still clunking and grinding, but the general activity was long gone and the hall was quiet. Desolate, even, save for a girl who seemed to be cleaning around the elevator pad which would take Eggman and Shadow up to the deck.

The old man ignored her existence entirely, but Shadow watched just as he had done before as they stepped up onto the pad. He stared at the mop, the grubby gloved hands holding it, the strikingly gold bangles around her wrists as she pulled the mophead over the floor. The girl was pink in colour, furred just like Shadow himself, with small pointed ears and quills cut in a sort of jagged bob.

_Isn't she—_Shadow started, hand twitching to reach toward her in an attempt to stop the elevator. Her eyes were green, too, and startlingly bright as they caught sight of the black hedgehog looking down at her. He was certain he had seen her before. Soon enough she was out of sight, however, and all Shadow could do was stand back, silent and contemplative as they ascended, and wondering what it would take for the Doctor to acknowledge his curiosity.


	4. Chapter 4

Act 1

His days started normally enough.

The digital alarm clock beside his bed rang at precisely 6:55am each morning.

The hot water in his small steel-walled en-suite bathroom lasted for precisely five minutes before running offensively cold.

The towel he was provided with was always freshly cleaned, dried and warmed as it waited on the towel rack. Gloves and socks, white and clean, were always there in the small steel chest of drawers beside his bed and were also always a brand new pair. Apparently cleanliness of the hands and feet were important, yet no other item of clothing was deemed necessary, or provided.

A few spare minutes were spent looking through the dictionary that had been left on his desk, jotting down choice words in the notepad, or alternatively glaring at the flat electronic book he'd been given which the Doctor had dubbed a… 'laptop'.

An orange droid, about the same height as Shadow, would knock twice on his bedroom door before entering at around 7:15am to indicate that breakfast was ready, and the two of them would walk together from the small bedroom to the slightly less small kitchen and dining area, as apparently Shadow's living area was shared.

Shadow would then take slow, savouring bites from a slice of toast, enjoying the sensation of the butter melting in his mouth along with the crunch of warm bread, and watch the android read a book at the opposite end of their small glass dinner table. He still couldn't tell if the android was partially organic or wholly artificial as he had not witnessed it eat yet, but he knew that the droid's name was Emerl, and that it had a friendly, quirky disposition and liked to wave goodbye to the hedgehog before he left, wishing him a good day. Yet another thing for which the Doctor had offered no explanation save, "Ah, Emerl is an old research project. Don't mind it. Its capabilities are lacking but I'm sure it'll provide you with satisfactory company."

At 8:30am sharp, every morning since he had arrived, Shadow would be greeted by the Doctor striding into his odd, shared little apartment with great gusto to announce their touring plans for the day.

He would then spend the rest of the day with the taste of butter in his mouth while touring various parts of the Battery, and subsequently return to the apartment so late that Emerl was never around. He had hoped to ask the droid some questions, but somehow the opportunity hadn't yet arisen. No matter what time Shadow returned home, Emerl could be found in neither its bedroom or the dining area. Where could it be going each night? He was beginning to wish that he had company other than Emerl so briefly in the mornings, and the Doctor throughout the rest of the day. It was frustrating having no one to talk to.

Learning the intricacies of the Battery while still not really knowing his overall purpose in life meant that the days themselves were anything but normal. But the procedure leading up to them provided a routine which Shadow had fallen into with relative ease. Learning about the ship interested the black hedgehog to the point where he began to look forward to meeting the Doctor in the mornings, too, wondering where he'd be taken next and what he'd see.

It also hadn't taken Shadow very long to realise just how incomplete the Battery was in some places. Considering the sheer size of the ship it was impossible to have explored the entirety of it in the week he'd been living there, but gradually, as the Doctor had escorted him around the pivotal parts of the ship – most of which still incomplete - the black hedgehog had come to find that there was still a lot left to be done.

The Doctor seemed to think that incomplete as it was, the Battery would nonetheless be airborne sooner than he'd anticipated, thanks to the emeralds. Shadow wasn't so sure, having seen more construction than completion. But by now he knew better than to question the Doctor on the specific, technical matters regarding construction; it usually led to an explanation so complex and full of jargon that Shadow retrospectively wished he hadn't asked, as much as he wanted to learn more.

The most surprising thing of all to Shadow had been the sheer number of people working aboard the Battery, and how even despite them, there was still so much to be done. Shadow had had no chance as of yet to engage in any sort of communication with the workers, who, it had seemed so far, were the only creatures similar to him in appearance.

They were everywhere, transporting materials, working with electronics, cleaning and polishing, labouring over machinery. They fascinated Shadow, being the only other people on the ship. And it also fascinated Shadow that the Doctor paid them no heed whatsoever, and they tried in turn, wherever possible, to avoid him. The Doctor had barely even mentioned them, even though they seemed to be doing most of the work.

Shadow often found himself wondering about the creatures he had seen on his first day. He had not seen them since then and there were plenty of others similar to them who also seemed interesting, but something about that little group had really caught Shadow's eye. And he felt so limited with what he could talk about when he was with the Doctor, it would be nice to meet some other people aside from him.

Regardless of the workers and Shadow's desire for company, the touring of the Battery was still very interesting. One of the few completed parts of the ship had turned out to be the control room, or cockpit. It was the place which Shadow had quickly become most accustomed to visiting. The cockpit overlooked the Battery's main deck and landing bay from its place in the centre of the vessel, stood on a raised circular platform to keep it above the rest of the ship. The landing bay itself was a massive mechanical landscape stretched out over the flat surface of the Battery, taking up the majority of space there and housing a plethora of fighter jets, biplanes, all kinds of aircraft all painted in different colours.

The control room and surrounding area was in fact the hedgehog's favourite place thus far. When looking out from the 360 degree windows shielding it, all that could be seen was blue sea, blue sky and a sandy desert which looked endless. It filled Shadow with a feeling of both fear and freedom; out there the world seemed to carry on forever, open and vast - but somehow it was incredibly empty. Devoid of the things which he had learned, somewhere, made this planet earth.

Where was all the greenery? Somehow, Shadow was too afraid to ask.

Shadow had stepped forward, squinting despite his perfect vision to try and see if there really was anything to be seen beyond the desert. Occasionally the wind blew hard and left the view as a faded blur of sand. Watching Shadow with a raised eyebrow, the Doctor wondered whether he had spotted something.

"This is one of the most secluded areas in the world," he then stated. "Perfect place to build something of this size. Occasionally there's the odd traveller or two – lost in the desert, of course – who come along, but they never cause any problems."

Travellers? Other people? Potentially lost in the desert? If they were lost wasn't it right to go and.. help them? He still hadn't properly met anybody else though- had no real idea how to converse with anyone except the Doctor, so going out there to help any lost travellers would likely be of limited use.

Shadow could only picture a vague human form, or a faceless uniform worker akin to those already labouring aboard the Battery when he thought about company. Except for Emerl of course, but Emerl didn't seem to count. Why was the Doctor so blasé about it? When Shadow thought about it, it really began to bug him.

Eggman could tell Shadow's attention was wandering and abruptly changed the subject. For a creature which was meant to think and feel nothing just yet, Shadow had adjusted to thought and emotion almost worryingly well. "Do you remember how I explained the other day to you, Shadow, that the chaos emeralds are powering this vessel?"

The question pulled Shadow from his thoughts, and he looked away from the window and up at the stout human. "You see, despite the emerald chamber being so far from here, the energy is being rerouted directly into this room."

The Doctor had taken the liberty today of explaining how the ship was going to move. He was leading Shadow around every control panel in the cockpit, talking energy and fuel and some kind of replication of the emeralds to generate more power. But the view, which Shadow could not help looking back to, was just so distracting.

"As with any ship it of course has autopilot functionality, but sometimes, it is rather _nice _to sit down and drive on the odd occasion when I have time." They arrived at the most northern point of the cockpit, in front of a huge golden armchair – twice the size of Eggman himself - and the golden plated yoke which the Doctor described as the Battery's as-yet-unused steering wheel. The extravagant furnishing caught Shadow's attention back, and he smiled.

"I hope you do not expect me to become your pilot, Doctor," he said. "That chair is far too big for me."

It was perhaps a somewhat risky joke to make, but the Doctor – wondering where Shadow had been hiding his sense of humour - laughed heartily at it. He shook his head. "No no no, certainly not! You're worth far more to me than a supplementary pilot! Worth MUCH more in fact!"

He kept on laughing, and Shadow kept on smiling. Being able to amuse the Doctor gave him this small burst of pleasure as though he'd achieved some kind of impossible task, but he said no more, watching the older man for a moment. Silently Shadow hoped that this was it, that the Doctor would elaborate. _Well, if I am not a pilot to you, if I am not supposed to fill this chair, then what am I? Why am I here?_

As if Shadow was being rewarded for the amusement, finally the Doctor obliged. "No, Shadow…" he began, and exhaled deeply as he seated himself in the huge armchair. "I am going to be rather busy during the next few days… but once I am done I will actually be starting you on a strict training program."

Shadow had not been expecting Eggman to actually answer him. His heart began to thump suddenly, almost overwhelmingly in his chest. This first rush of adrenaline made him almost jump, and without thinking he set both gloved hands down on the arm of the chair and faced Eggman with red eyes alight in excitement. No joking around now. If the Doctor had some information to give up, Shadow was going to get it. "Training? What kind of training?"

The Doctor did not look at Shadow, looking ahead at the yoke with a grin. It was like teasing a puppy with a tennis ball. "You may not realise it but your power is immense, Shadow… It's part of why I wanted to bring you back from stasis. All that chaos energy packed away… was a waste to let you collect cobwebs in that colony."

"Colony? I have immense power?" Flashbacks to the first day when the Doctor had mentioned all the destruction Shadow had caused made him worried, combined with the mention of yet another place he had no recollection of. But there was no way Shadow was going to let this go until the Doctor explained, so he persisted. "Doctor, what do you _mean?"_

"I _mean _ that you are going to be _trained," _was the smooth response. "For now your job is to be a tourist- someone who simply travels, observes, _relaxes_," Eggman told him, finally looking back at Shadow with a sort of sympathetic smile. "I want you to feel like this is your _home_, like you _belong_ here, and comfort only breeds with familiarity."

Well, this provided an answer for what Shadow had been doing up until now- but the Doctor had dangled his future right in front of him, and Shadow was not going to let him withdraw it. Anything he could coax from the Doctor now was gold-dust. "But- but after that I am to be trained? Trained in what? In combat?" he asked quickly.

Bingo. Eggman had opened his mouth to say something but Shadow had stolen the words from him. He had tried to hold off for as long as he could, afraid of putting too much on the hedgehog too soon. The last thing he wanted was to put Shadow off with pressure, and as his memory had been wiped so quickly there was always the risk he would remember… but Eggman knew better than to doubt himself by now, and grudgingly acquiesced.

"In… case of an _emergency_… yes, you are to be trained in combat," Eggman said, to Shadow's quiet and utter delight. "We will have to work on your general fitness, strength, stamina and so on beforehand. I'm sure you will have noticed your lack of energy at the end of each day, hm?"

Ah, yes, Shadow had certainly noticed. Being in stasis for so long had left the hedgehog's body weak; upon returning to his living quarters each evening, Shadow had always been grateful for his bed even when his digital clock told him it was not late enough to justify sleep. Though every night he'd wanted to try and wait for Emerl, he fell asleep before he could stop himself.

Shadow nodded quickly, eager for Eggman to continue again. "Yes, yes, I have noticed that, Doctor, I have noticed."

"Well then. It's very important you build up strength. Shadow, you're an invaluable part of the Empire now," Eggman told him, his tone suddenly serious. He crossed a leg over the other, and rested his chin on interlocked fingers. "Just as much as those emeralds, as a matter of fact. I would go as far as to say that your… very existence is going to be beneficial for myself and for the greater world, in the long run."

Oh, wow. This was really something. Shadow was quickly beginning to realise what it felt like to have a true sense of worth, even when the Doctor then outright refused to tell him anymore, and continued with his tour of the cockpit.

Trained! Shadow was going to be _trained!_ And in combat! Was he a warrior? Defense, offense, weaponry or hand to hand? Was he going to teach the workers how to fight, too, was that part of the training? Was that why the Doctor had not mentioned them- because they were directly linked to Shadow's work? Would he train with the emeralds too?! It was just so exciting to the black hedgehog. He still hadn't been told what he'd be doing and what it was all for, but he had something which he could work at, he had a sense of _worth,_ and training was better productivity than sightseeing, and…

And Shadow wished, all at once, that he had someone to share this news with. His thoughts of company, the workers, that particular group from before, came flooding back even when the Doctor tried once again to steer their conversation toward technicalities. Eventually they left the cockpit and Shadow was taken here and there as usual, but the hedgehog's attention had been quite thoroughly lost. _Emerl_, he was thinking. _I must speak to Emerl. Perhaps it can give me more information on the others who live here… or even show me around the ship while the Doctor is away._

Luckily, as he had said, the Doctor had things to do anyway and their tour of the Battery was cut short. Eggman escorted a very quiet, distant but smiling Shadow back to his living quarters after a couple of hours meandering through a few nameless corridors. Shadow was no longer interested in the ship, judging by the happy smile which was yet to leave his lips.

Odd, Eggman thought, for the hedgehog to show so much emotion and desire. Shadow was downright eager. Alarmingly so, perhaps, given that the level of personality he'd shown so far went against the records he'd collected from Gerald- and there were a lot of them. It was rather like that of a... child. Then again, he had given a little more information than planned today… and Shadow had been awoken with a clean slate of memory... well, never mind. Shadow was not at all the creature he had anticipated, but he decided that that was not necessarily a bad thing. Personality over complete neutrality was more interesting, he supposed.

"I will be gone for a few days- business trip, before you ask," Eggman had then told him, entering the final access code to allow them into the residential lobby. He ushered Shadow inside but the hedgehog stopped and whirled around before he could leave.

"I just- there is one more thing which I would like to ask," Shadow said, looking and sounding hopeful. Eggman raised an eyebrow inviting Shadow to go ahead. "I… It is about company, Doctor. As I have permission to explore the Battery where I can for the next couple of days, I would prefer to do so with someone else."

"Company?" The Doctor paused in thought, slightly frowning. "I suggest you speak with Emerl. For now, Shadow, I really must leave."

And so the Doctor left, and Shadow once again found himself alone in the apartment. A few questions had been answered this time at least, but more had been raised in the process, leaving Shadow excited and restless. He paced, knocked on the other bedroom door, made some toast, waited and waited as long as he could but as usual, sleep eventually got the better of him. In the morning he decided he would talk to Emerl directly. There _had_ to be someone on this damned ship that would provide company and information in the Doctor's place. There had to be a reason why Emerl was not around, why the Doctor had placed Shadow with him, why nobody seemed to communicate with one another.

The answer was with those workers, Shadow knew it. With those hundreds of boys and girls, men and women, some older, some younger, working away in all parts of the Battery Shadow had seen thus far. Strangely there were no other humans, but a huge variety of species in their place and there seemed to be the occasional droid, similar to Emerl, mixed in as well. Pink and orange and blue and green, faceless and hardworking and never around the Doctor for more than a couple of minutes...

Tomorrow, Shadow decided. Tomorrow he would find them.


	5. Chapter 5

Down in the depths of the Battery, where the workers resided, were a group of friends sitting together on one of their single beds. Pink, blue and orange, they sat and frowned down at a map covered in annotations drawn on grubby greaseproof paper. They pointed at words, at small boxes, routes and equations written on the map and spoke quietly amongst themselves.

Down in the depths of the Battery, where the workers lived in their dank residential bunkers, many were coming in from a solid day of labour or getting ready to do the nightshift, heading to the showering facilities or grabbing a bite to eat. But the three friends sat in the same spot for hours long into the night, mulling over the map and alternating between the frustration of bewilderment, and the exhilaration of a new idea.

Factored into this map, in the far right corner where only a smidgen of clean space remained, was a tiny drawing of a black hedgehog with a small question mark pointed at him. His name was marked as 'D/Unknown(A?)' , and he was the only anomaly on a map which was purely for charting locations.

For all the plotting and pointing, it was that small corner of the paper which yielded the most discussion. And amongst them, the three friends decided that if they were given an opportunity, they would cross out their current annotations, and give him his rightful name.

All they needed was one small chance to determine whether or not he would be of use.

* * *

The morning of the following day arrived, and lo and behold, there was no sign of the Doctor waiting for Shadow when the clock went from 8:29 to 8:30am. But Shadow wasn't even thinking about the Doctor – nor, even, was he thinking of the exceptionally crunchy slice of toast he'd just eaten.

"Emerl," he had begun quietly, just a few minutes before. "What am I supposed to do around the Battery now that I no longer have the Doctor guiding me?"

It was Shadow's first time attempting to actively converse with Emerl in the mornings, seeing as it was the first chance he'd had to speak with him for more than a minute. He was nervous, unused to conversation with anyone but the Doctor, but knew this was potentially one of the only decent chances he'd get.

The droid placed its book on the table after a moment, and looked up to Shadow from where it sat at the opposite side of the dinner table. It was difficult to make out what it was thinking, seeing as it had no facial expression, but judging by the pause Shadow assumed it was capable of thought. "What would you like to do?" Emerl then asked in return.

The question surprised Shadow. He'd been so used to commands, suggestions and expectations. Not once had the Doctor asked Shadow what he'd _like_ to do. "Well… I would actually like to talk to you," he said, trying to smile. "And- ask you some questions, if I am permitted."

"Right. I expect you have tried to find me in the evenings?"

Red eyes blinked. Emerl was answering questions before Shadow had even asked. It made the hedgehog brighten out of his nervousness and his smile was no longer forced. "Yes! There are so many things I want to ask you but you have not been here, even when I've looked for a while."

The droid shifted in its seat, its mannerisms organic despite its metal shell. "Sorry for that. The Doctor said I was allowed to speak to you but I've been busy working on something," it said, oddly apologetic for a robot. Shadow shook his head, excited that Emerl was being so responsive, but the droid carried on before he could interject. "I'm trying to rebuild an old friend of mine you see, so I spend a lot of my time in the Hot Shelter. The Doctor lets me have my little projects and in return he doesn't work on me, so I get to stay here."

Somewhere, hidden away, Shadow was aware that what Emerl had said sounded strange. Wrong. Somewhere far away was the muffled sound of a ringing alarm bell. But for now it was logical enough for Shadow to nod along without questioning, and he continued to smile an untroubled smile. It was nice being answered without having to question. "I see. So you haven't been here because you've been in the—"

"Hot Shelter, yes." Emerl glanced down briefly to its lap. "I doubt the Doctor will take you there just yet. It's home to his more personal projects. Android construction, vehicle maintenance, gene splicing."

Shadow brushed off this jargon he was not yet acquainted with. "Perhaps you could take me there?" he asked hopefully. "You sound like you know a lot about this place, and I am still learning. The Doctor is reluctant to tell me things just yet."

"I am sure he has good reason," Emerl said immediately, and straightened up in a quick jolt. A second passed and it seemed to relax again. "In any case, I am guessing you would like company?"

The very subject Shadow wanted to touch upon! He didn't know how Emerl picked up on all of this – for a droid, it read people better than Shadow could – but he was very grateful for it. "Yes! Another thing I wanted to ask was about the other creatures here." Shadow paused, wondering for a moment how to tackle this subject. He leaned forward a bit in his chair, as if it would perhaps allow him to pry more from Emerl. "The Doctor barely acknowledges them, but they are the only other people aboard. Can you explain that for me? "

"Hm… yes, I can."

Any doubt Shadow had had over Emerl's thought processing was long gone now. Emerl paused to consider its explanation, even bringing a metallic finger up to tap its chin in thought. Such an odd mannerism for a droid, but one which somehow made Emerl a little more likeable.

"You see, the workers are the Doctor's employees. He is their superior so he does not feel the need to converse with them, so long as they do their job. He might throw them out otherwise."

Once again was the distant sound of an alarm bell. Well, Shadow was hardly a good judge of character and the Doctor wasn't exactly affectionate, but he quickly and internally reasoned that if the workers weren't working then it seemed logical enough to expel them. He nodded along, listening.

"I suppose I can… understand. But I think it is odd. He has not even told me about them."

Emerl leant forward slightly as if it was going to say something, but then hesitated, and paused. Shadow watched it expectantly.

"The… workers here… have no prospects outside the Battery. They are from all across the world. The Doctor took them… in when… things outside went bad," Emerl explained, though it was struggling with its wording and kept pausing and jolting slightly, almost as if malfunctioning. Soon enough it straightened out again, and abruptly stood up.

"They are friendly and you can watch them if you like," it said then, picking up its book. "I will show you how to get down to the Battery's base area; lots of people work there. You may even find some of your own kind. There are many different species here, you see."

Emerl left to grab a notepad, and Shadow decided that in all of his time on board this mystifying Battery, Emerl was his favourite person. Or... robot.

And so, armed with a bottle of water, torch, a crudely drawn map and some vague instructions, Shadow set off on his way to the base of the Battery. There was no guiding hand pressed against his back, no talk of emeralds or unknown places or the occasional cackle of laughter in his ear. Shadow was alone, and allowed himself a small smile as he made his way out of the residential lobby. It dawned on him very quickly that it was actually pleasant to have some time alone like this. He had assumed he was supposed to have company all the time when touring, as had been the case until the Doctor had left. But no, it wasn't necessary, and Shadow registered independence as a very nice feeling indeed.

Entering the Great Hall on his own, however, was somewhat more daunting than the lone corridor leading out of the residential lobby. In the mornings it was absolutely bustling with workers, little robots, the sound of heavy machinery echoing from all the walls and the constant squeak of wheels against perfectly polished flooring. This morning was no exception; clearly business carried on as usual even without the Doctor's presence.

_This is somewhat disorienting, _Shadow thought briefly, stepping out into the main area. A little too overwhelmed to make his way out into the thick of it alone, he observed silently from where he stood.

What were all these people doing? Like ants, the workers knew exactly where they were going and all seemed focused and determined as they rushed around, dashing to this elevator pad and that staircase, some in vehicles transporting heavy loads of cargo. Some seemed to constantly be frowning in concentration, oil smeared over their cheeks, hair tousled and greasy. Some wore blank faces, moving calmly through the thick of activity as though it were second nature, skinny and tired. Hedgehogs just like Shadow, foxes, wolves, cats, mice, birds, all with different pelts, feathers, scales of different patterns and all, all of them were working for the Doctor, hundreds, thousands of them, here aboard this Battery.

It was so much to take in. Standing still by himself simply observing allowed Shadow's mind to wander. A sense of foreboding began to trickle through him looking at how busy everyone was, only to be dispelled by the distraction of a sudden cry from behind him.

"Hey mate, watch out!"

Shadow swivelled around but unfortunately moved in such a way that he tripped up the person coming toward him, leaving a plastic box of heavy tools clattering against the ground, and the worker flat on their face.

Shadow was so shocked from the unexpected interaction that all he could do was gawp, frozen to the spot. By the time he instinctively moved to help the worker up - a raccoon in dirty overalls - they'd already jumped back up onto their feet, and faced Shadow with a piercing blue-eyed glare. "Thanks a _lot_, buddy! Nice going!" shouted the raccoon, who was female, aggressive and already dropping back down to pick up her tools.

"Sorry-" Shadow started, only for the girl to get back up, shoot him one last glare and stomp off.

Shaken, startled and wondering what he'd done wrong, Shadow couldn't help but question whether or not meeting more of these people was going to be a good idea.

In any case, he'd given himself something to do and it would be foolish to return home. The dark hedgehog hesitantly went on his way, though he paid more attention to his surroundings this time, and tried to stay out of the way.

Eventually, after following the many signs leading down, Shadow found himself entering the combination for the entrance to the base of the ship, where the propellers to eventually launch the Battery were being developed. With the way the Battery was structured, heavy scaffolding covered the outside of it and pillars were fixed solidly well beneath the sand of the shore, leaving about fifty feet of space between the underside of the ship and the sandy ground below, keeping the ship securely in place. It was dark down there, lit mostly by lamps fixed to the temporary steel walls which surrounded the entirety of the Battery like a prison.

_It will be hot down there so take this water. Also, it will be dark, as there are walls around the area to prevent sand from the desert obstructing the work, _Emerl had explained. It seemed more like a thoughtful, protective measure on the Doctor's part, though, and Shadow smiled a bit. _I guess the Doctor is protecting the workers from getting lost in the desert. _

From where he'd entered there was a balcony extending out to a set of ladders and lifts rotating in circular motions, allowing access to the huge propellers half-completed sprouting from the underside of the ship. There were a countless amount of them, all stacked in groups of three, each set connected to a fuel tank. Around these propeller sets were groups of workers climbing around on scaffolding surrounding the fuel tanks, and even on the propellers themselves.

The artificial lights illuminated the underbelly of the ship and made the entire area incredibly hot. Shadow looked out from the balcony, leaning against it and looking over at the workers sweating beneath the lights, observing them for a while before having to wipe the back of his gloved hand across his forehead. It was hot, poorly lit, and incredibly noisy from the combined sound of chattering, calling and construction.

_It's no wonder the Doctor has been able to make such a huge machine_, Shadow thought to himself, frowning just a little as he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the light directly above him. _There must be thousands of people working on it._

Shadow would've liked to stay and observe them for a little longer as he found their work so interesting to watch, but it was unbearably hot down there, and the noise of metal on metal echoed loudly throughout the base. _There are certainly a lot of people down here, but they're all busy. How am I supposed to talk to any of them? Perhaps Emerl made a mistake…_

The hedgehog was about to turn and walk out from the awful heat and find somewhere else to go, when quite suddenly he caught sight of a familiar batch of colours – creatures, even – working in a group on the closest, far right propellers. He stopped dead where he'd begun to turn and stared over in their direction, the pink, orange and blue pelts as striking as they had been the first day he'd arrived, even in the poor light.

He could see from where he stood that the pink one was definitely the girl who had been cleaning, after their visit to the emerald chamber a few days ago. Shadow remembered her clearly as he thought back to it and compared the image then to the girl a few feet away from him now – short hair, pale fur, wearing the same white tank top but this time with more than a few oil smears over it. Green eyes, that bright green he'd noticed back then.

There they were. Right here, working away together in this deep dank basement. Shadow just could not believe his luck. This is exactly what he had set out to accomplish!

He gripped the restraining bar of the balcony, leaning over and looking closer still. The orange one was sitting on the scaffolding next to the propellers, rummaging through a box for something, and the blue one was mostly hidden around the other side of the propeller, holding it at the top and apparently experiencing some difficulty with it. The pink girl was standing on the propeller below him, trying to reach up with a wrench. Shadow listened, black ears flicking up slightly to try and hear what was going on.

"Sooooniiiiic, are you even listening to me? This wrench is better, Tails said so!"

"I –TOLD- you Amy, it isn't going to work! And you can tell Tails- ngh- that it isn't- gonna work- too!"

"Wait, are you absolutely sure? I– I just looked through and that's the biggest one we've got…."

"YEP I hate to say it Tails, but I'm sure! Man it's so hot! Yeah okay we're done here so uh Amy if you could get down so I could get down too that'd be great! THANKS!"

Apparently the group of them were having quite a lot of difficulty, judging from the irritated sounding voice coming from the other side of the propeller. Shadow noticed upon glancing around that this group seemed to be the only one experiencing problems- but their propellers were also more completed, and looked very well made. He turned his attention back onto them, thoroughly intrigued and excited for the fact that he'd found this particular group again. Though the excitement wasn't without that nervousness he'd felt the same morning talking to Emerl; a knot of anxiety had worked its way into Shadow's tummy, making him reluctant to move. Emotions, still new to the dark hedgehog, were so exhausting.

He watched them for a small while seeing as they hadn't noticed him, and Shadow not only didn't want to get into trouble again but wasn't sure how to go about initiating conversation. He was able to determine that the girl was Amy, the orange fox with… two tails? - was indeed named Tails, and the blue one who Shadow couldn't really see yet was Sonic. _Knowing their names is half the battle, isn't it? _he thought somewhat desperately, fingers tightening around the balcony railing.

Amy handed the wrench back to Tails when she jumped down from the propeller, and a second later Sonic had jumped down too, landing clean on his feet beside her. He yawned and stretched out his arms before slumping over a little and giving a melodramatic 'phew', fluffing his smeared tank top in an attempt to cool himself. "Jeez, we need a _break_…" he sighed, but managed a smile when Tails handed him a bottle of water. "Thanks bud, I was gettin' pretty thirsty."

It surprised Shadow because the blue one, evidently, had… he had _quills_. Dissimilar to his own in shape and of course in colour as well, but nevertheless, the creature was - like Shadow himself, at least from what he could see - a hedgehog. Amy seemed to be a hedgehog as well, though she was now climbing up onto the top propeller to have a look at the problem and was just _different _to Sonic.

They were all a group of friends. Shadow could see that. A pang of something that wasn't anxiety went through him, culminating in a sort of… ball in his throat. He lifted a hand from the railing to brush fingertips over his neck, but nothing was there. Shadow began to worry.

_Perhaps… it was foolish to come here so early. What was I expecting? I barely know how to talk to the Doctor, let alone strangers. _

As much as Shadow suddenly wanted to leave this place, the desire for friendship he was not yet aware of was preventing him from releasing the rail. And then, as though on cue, while subconsciously looking around for the exit outta there Sonic had abruptly turned toward the balcony, and spotted their spectator.

Instantly, green eyes locked with Shadow's, and the two hedgehogs stared at one another in complete, startled silence. Tails noticed the dark hedgehog then as well, jumping back a bit in surprise only to be shielded by Sonic putting out a protective hand in front of him.

Shadow's breath, words and thought left him as though he'd been caught by a hand around his throat. Sonic's eyes narrowed, and without shifting his gaze from Shadow, he called up to his friend who was still on the propeller.

"Amy, come down."

"Augh, this stupid screw is really jammed in—"

"Amy, **come down.**"

He sounded threatening and authoritative, his tone darker and deeper than before but oddly quite calm. Amy jumped down, aware that something was suddenly wrong, and stood behind Sonic to look over at the cause. She gasped when she spotted Shadow, and murmured something to them both.

Sonic, Amy and Tails stood on the scaffolding and stared at him without saying a word. It was rather like being stared at by those guard robots in the residential lobby, but somehow worse, because there were three of them and because Shadow knew that the robots had been there to guard and protect. Murmuring quietly to one another, too quietly for Shadow to hear but enough so to add to his anxiety, they then looked at one another and nodded in unison.

They were plotting something. And then they were looking right at him again.

Shadow was just about ready to push himself away from the rails and run out, when Sonic stepped forward and suddenly jumped onto the hovering platform connecting their scaffold to the balcony. Amy and Tails gasped from where they stood close together watching him, and Shadow's fingers tightened on the rail. But the dark hedgehog found himself incapable of making any movement at all when Sonic then jumped from the hovering platform, smoothly through the air, and onto the balcony right in front of him, approaching slowly, deliberately, and with a threatening glint in his bright green eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Today had turned out to be rather exciting.

"What do we do?" Tails hissed, panicked and glancing quickly between his friends. "That's him, isn't it? Right there! That's him!"

"Tails, calm down," Amy whispered, shooting a lightning quick glance at the black hedgehog from over her shoulder. She shivered a bit, a little fearful of the unknown herself. But she smiled, seeing the opportunity in this. "Sonic is right. We can't let this chance go. And you have to admit, it's pretty exciting!"

The fox really, really didn't think so. "But- but what if-"

"It's fine," Sonic interrupted him immediately. He looked at Tails dead on, holding his gaze, calming him down with that one simple look. "This is what is going to happen. I am going to go over there. I am going to find out anything I can. And then I am going to come back over here, and everything is going to be fine. You got that?"

He briefly reached out to squeeze Tail's shoulder, and smiled confidently. "You know I'd never let anythin' happen, Tails. Trust me."

Amy reached out too, and after a moment Tails nodded, they all nodded, and Sonic had jumped from the scaffold and over to the balcony. _There's no going back now_, Tails thought nervously, and found himself grateful for Amy's arm strung around his shoulders, holding him tight.

After making a perfect landing, Sonic sized the black hedgehog up from where he stood, green eyes flicking briefly over his form to assess what he could potentially be up against. This guy was built kinda like a triangle and lacking any sort of muscle tone, as opposed to Sonic's more oval shape and slightly built arms and legs from years of hard labour. The red markings along his arms and legs didn't _look _metallic, and judging from how scared this hedgehog looked, it seemed pretty safe to say that this guy wasn't an android. Just some wacky-coloured old hedgehog, from the outside. Knowing Eggman, though, anything was possible, and this guy was probably brainwashed. Had Eggman even taught him how to talk yet? Ugh.

Sonic's eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, asserting his dominance and not about to take _any_ kind of shit from Eggman's apparent lackey hog.

* * *

Now face to face with Sonic, black fur prickled all over and Shadow stepped back, needing to distance himself as he wondered what in the world this strange blue hedgehog was going to do next. Wondering how observation could be such a crime on the Battery, Shadow was struggling desperately hard to think of what he could've done to upset the blue hedgehog. He was beginning to panic.

Finally though, Sonic spoke up. "Who are you?" he asked, in that same deep, calm, threatening manner as before. "Why are you here?"

Now, these were questions which Shadow wasn't sure how to answer- not least because his tongue was caught behind his lips and seemed insistent on remaining there. As though searching for an answer in the tense atmosphere surrounding him, Shadow looked around this way and that, down at himself – perhaps the words were tucked away in that odd white chest fluff – and then back up to Sonic, at a loss.

When the blue hedgehog folded his arms and began to tap his foot, Shadow scrambled internally for something, anything, to say. "My name is Shadow," he somehow managed. When Sonic said nothing and continued to simply glare at him, then taking another threatening step forward, Shadow swallowed and tried again. "I- I was brought here to help. Help on the Battery, the ship. I'm supposed to start training in a few days."

It wasn't exactly a description of who he was, but Sonic was actually quite surprised he had said so much. Assessing Shadow for just a little bit longer, he remained silent. Shadow stood rigid and tried not to look as panicked as he felt, expecting the blue hedgehog to bark another enquiry at him.

All he actually did was step casually past Shadow to where a few spare tools were kept, to the side of the entrance. Didn't say a single word on his way, just uttered a tired sigh as he bent down toward one of the many tool boxes kept there, noisily rummaging through until, with a happy exclamation, he grabbed a wrench that was the appropriate size. Didn't even turn back to look at Shadow as he casually walked back over to the edge of the balcony, ignoring the ladders completely and obviously about to take another jump. With any luck, it would coax another response from the black hedgehog.

"I thought- I mean, I would like to be of assistance to you if I may." Sure enough Shadow followed through, jogging until he was close behind Sonic. He had no idea where the words had come from, but somehow he hadn't wanted Sonic to just leave. It caught the blue hedgehog's attention at least, and when Sonic faced him once more, Shadow tried again with a bit more confidence. "I would like to help. I saw your friend, Amy, the other day. And I have continued to see you throughout my touring of the ship."

Shadow was about as full of surprises to Sonic, as Sonic was to Shadow. Reaching around to scratch the back of his neck, the blue hedgehog rolled his eyes up a little in consideration. Why, exactly, was an associate of _Eggman_ asking to spend even a moment of his time amongst… well, the lower classes? Sure there were inspections every now and again, but they were never usually done by… someone who looked, though a lot cleaner, like one of them. Like one of the workers. Eggman's choice companions had always been androids.

Of course, the guy could've just been another spy, camouflaged in fur and faking naivety. But Sonic had a funny feeling about Shadow, as he sounded, looked and acted very differently to Eggman's spies who had come and gone in the past. Knowing better than to trust him outright, Sonic figured he would at least give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Especially if he had been touring the ship with the Doc, and knew where things would be…

And, more than anything else, Shadow really did just seem…. Curious. Which was probably the oddest thing of all.

"Uh… well... sure," Sonic finally answered, his words stunted in hesitance. "Sure, no problem. There're only three of us right now so… Uh. Come on over."

The threat and aggression from before was gone. Sonic seemed a lot more relaxed now, even giving Shadow a somewhat wary smile. "The platform here'll take you over to where we're working, if ya don't mind hopping on. Though why you wanna come work with us is beyond me, dude."

"Ah, yes. Right."

Shadow's lips twitched, curved a little into an awkward sort-of smile in return before he stepped up to the edge beside the other hedgehog. Sonic jumped from the balcony, settling on the lift easily and turning back to make sure Shadow followed his lead. Pressured, Shadow had no choice but to do the same leap of faith and somehow managed to land on the platform next to Sonic, though not without a gasp and unsteady footing.

Slowly the platform rotated around, escorting them through the air until they were within arm's length of the fuel tank. Anyone who fell from this would've been lost in the darkness of the sand below, Shadow noticed as he looked down. Feeling a tad sick, he quickly straightened up again.

He also noticed, from the moment he set foot behind Sonic on their supporting scaffold, that he had never been this close to the Doctor's workers before. Nor had he really noticed what their true appearance was like. Suddenly, there were three of them, standing together and facing him – staring, even, wide-eyed, expectant, holding their breath and waiting for him to introduce himself. Well, Amy and Tails were. Sonic was a little less expectant.

There was Shadow - dark skinned with pristine fur, pristine gloves, the custom shoes made for him by Eggman pristine as well. And then, there were the others - sweating under the heat, dressed in torn off-white gloves, grubby brown flats and wearing shirts that were torn and baggy and covered in stains, each of them with that same wary expectance in their eyes as they watched him.

"Hello," was all Shadow could think of to say in that moment, glancing between all of them and offering a polite, if rather stiff, nod of acquaintance.

Amy and Tails offered a timid wave in return, expressions unchanged as they stood and waited for a more elaborate introduction. When it became clear to them that this probably wasn't going to happen, Sonic stepped forward and did what just came naturally to him.

Faced Shadow with a wide toothy grin, and set a hand on his own blue hip. His demeanour had transformed entirely from wary to welcoming, if somewhat arrogant.

"So, you wanted to help out, huh?" he asked. Shadow opened his mouth but Sonic carried on straight away. "Well, we're uh… kiiinda in the process of removing some of the spare parts from the ceiling up there right now." He gave a thumbs up, which Shadow stared at uncomprehendingly until he realised Sonic was gesturing at the ceiling. "Yeah, up there. See those huge screws? We want 'em out. Before y'ask it won't affect the rest of it, they're just spares. We need 'em, y'see."

He lifted the new wrench, twirling it deftly between his fingers. "This is the best tool for the job. Right Tails?"

Tails nodded, but he was still fixed on Shadow with eyes as wide as saucers.

"SO yeah, that's it. You're more than welcome to help us out, if ya think ya can."

There was a distinct note of challenge in those words. Shadow picked up on it immediately, black ears perking as he automatically took a step forward. It was suddenly clear that had to prove himself to these people, judging from Sonic's challenge and the baited breath of the other two.

Well. That was fine. He had to offer some sort of explanation, after all; it was only fair and despite his ambiguity the Doctor _had_ done the same for him. So, while Shadow wasn't really sure what to say to them, yet, he instead climbed right up onto the middle propeller, then the top one, until he was able to stand on one of the blades and reach up to the ceiling just, as he assumed, Sonic had been doing a few minutes ago.

In their two years of being held on board the Battery, the three of them had never, ever experienced anything as strange as this before. Had Shadow not been such an obvious outsider – and not even a _working_ outsider, at that, but a seeming accomplice of Eggman – his appearance and apparent willingness to help wouldn't have been such a big deal.

Watching the darker hedgehog take the wrench from Sonic without hesitance, climb up easily, confidently walk along the blades and immediately set to work on removing the big screws left Tails and Amy gaping in awe. Sonic watched him as well, shoulder leant against the tip of the last propeller, wearing an impressed grin. Eggman's accomplice or not, the guy was doing a very good job. And all so suddenly, completely without prompt!

"What did you say your name was again?" Sonic called up to him, after a minute or so. He wanted to make sure he hadn't been lied to before, and some of the other accomplices had tripped over simple questions like this one, proving themselves to be Eggman's spies.

Shadow did not look down from the ceiling even for a moment, despite the startlingly loud question, opting to squint up at the screws instead.

"Shadow," he called down, and released two of the huge screws. Tails instantly rushed around beneath him, catching the dropping pieces in a box.

"Shadow, huh? Nice to meetcha." Satisfied, Sonic turned to report to his friends the information he'd collected from 'Shadow'.

Shadow meanwhile concentrated entirely on what he was doing, still unsure exactly why he had suddenly found himself amongst the people who he had, so far, been content to just observe. The blue hedgehog had seemed interesting enough, though, and his friends had been nice enough. It was an inexplicable sort of thing; as Shadow had felt that awful foreboding weight looking out of the window that day, here and now he had been drawn quite suddenly over to these dynamic, colourful looking people. There was no real reasoning behind it, except for curiosity and the desire to have company.

It was also interesting being able to look from the worker's perspectives too, he found, red eyes flicking over past the propeller to catch a few quick glimpses of the other teams at work. While some were evidently taking a break, most were completely focused on their work.

But the heat from up here was _awful_. It'd barely been a couple of minutes and while the other three seemed to be chatting quietly together, Shadow found he'd broken into a sweat. Somehow having to balance on a blade, hold onto it with one hand and extract tough screws with the other wasn't even that much of a problem, to Shadow. Others around him struggled immensely when holding on to a surface unstable as the curved blades of the propellers. Shadow was quite oblivious to it, focusing on the task at hand effortlessly.

But the atmosphere was just so _hot_ that within minutes it became a lot harder than it really should've been- enough to make the black hedgehog turn and momentarily lean back against the pole of the propeller, taking a deep, calming breath of the damp air and wiping the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead.

It made Sonic laugh. Not maliciously, just knowingly, and a tad bitter from past experience of being in exactly the same place.

"You really are new here, huh!" he observed happily. Again, accomplice or not, it was incredibly gratifying seeing someone associated with Eggman getting a taste of what they had to go through every goddamn day. If Sonic didn't know Eggman any better, he probably would've found comfort in the possibility of Shadow reporting the terrible working conditions back to him, too.

For now, though, Sonic was just content to watch him sweat. Three sets of eyes in fact were watching the darker hedgehog, intently, apprehensively, and just plain enjoying watching somebody else do the work. Feeling too guilty just standing there watching him, however, Amy suddenly stepped forward. She hadn't forgotten the way Shadow had looked at her that day – not quite pitying, but… concerned, she was sure.

"Don't listen to him!" she called up, stepping even closer and gesturing for him to come back down. "If you need to stop then come back down! It's very hot up there!"

Then it became Shadow's turn to laugh. A quiet little snicker, accompanied with a smile as it came from lips already parted to draw a short breath. "It- is quite hot up here, yes," he replied calmly, allowing himself another couple of seconds before he removed himself from the pole and leant back towards the remaining screws, casting one short glance down at them all before facing up. "I'm guessing – that it is always this temperature down here in the base?" he asked, still keeping his focus entirely on the ceiling above him.

"Hm…" Amy paused, thinking it over. "Y'know, actually? If you're lucky enough to work down here in the evenings it's not as bad," she then said, frowning in thought and talking more to herself than to Shadow. "It's like… there aren't so many people down here, and it isn't nearly as hot as it is during the daytime on the outside. So…"

"… so then, you are the unlucky ones, I suppose." There was no sympathy in Shadow's words, nor bitterness, or any kind of pity. It was nothing more than a blank statement, but it was one which, again, made Sonic laugh. This time Shadow did glance down at him.

He stood beside Amy once more, raising an incredulous eyebrow right back at the dark hedgehog.

"Unlucky? Man, you have _no _idea, Shadow. Seriously. Look around you. Right now, if you look down below, you'll see sand. We're on LAND, and Eggman has us boxed in." He opened his arms out in one swift dramatic motion, as if suddenly opening the room out to Shadow. The bitterness from before came back in another sharp laugh. "If we fall, that's it, we're goners. Nor do we get any kinda glimpse at the world outside. See for yourself – that's _steel_ surrounding us."

Shadow did not need to look around. "I have already seen," he said, calmly. Sonic seemed to be expecting some other sort of response from him. Shadow opted for the first thing that came to mind. "It is strange."

"Uh… yeah. _Strange_." Sonic arched an incredulous eyebrow at that, hands on his hips. "… I know Eggman won't have told you about stuff like this, seeing as he's so secretive about EVERYTHING. But… well, _jeez. _Stick around with us for a few days and you'll come to see that being caged in like this is anything BUT strange, to him. S'been the norm for us for a couple years now." He glanced away briefly. "Can't believe it's been that long already…"

Quiet ensued around them before Shadow replied with a simple "I see," and returned to removing the last screw on the right hand side. He would think about Sonic's words later, definitely, but for now he was content to concentrate on the work at hand. And besides, Sonic was probably biased because he was working. It wasn't like the Doctor didn't care; they were helping to build his ship, after all. But it was strange that the pit below them was so… scary, and dangerous.

Discreetly, Tails scuttled to Sonic's side, giving him the same worried look that Amy had just aimed at Shadow. "Sonic, we don't know who this person even _is_! You can't talk like that to him, you don't know what he'll report back to Eggman!" he whispered hotly, with ears folded back against his head in worry.

"I know, Tails," Sonic said, and smiled that same confident smile at his little buddy. Completely nonchalant. "We don't know whether he's friend or foe yet, right? But I haven't said anything incriminating, just reporting on the shitty conditions we're working in. Don't worry about it just yet and keep watching him."

Tails didn't look any less worried, watching as a familiar look of cunning crossed across the green eyes of his friend. "I'm serious, Tails, don't even worry. I've got this." And then finally, he leant just a tad closer to the fox, and lowered his tone down to a more discreet whisper. "Y'know he mentioned that so far he's basically just been touring this place? He might just be able to help us out with that. So we'll keep on an eye on him, okay? Trust me."

"Like I have much of a choice," Tails said, smiling weakly back. As always, he resigned himself to the fact that, given that pure cunning he'd seen in the blue hedgehog, Sonic had already started making plans.

Shadow was oblivious to it. Or rather, he was aware of it, as he had been when the Doctor and general had been quite obviously speaking of him during their discussion back on the Fortress. But right now he was more focused on observing from his perch, and unscrewing the last couple of bolts. All three of them were startled when he jumped right down from the top just a minute or two later, landing gracefully, straightening himself, and then dropping the bolts curled into his palm into the box Amy was still holding, making her jump slightly in astonishment. Even Shadow looked surprised with himself when he looked back up and saw how far he'd jumped, and the neat landing he'd made. Wow.

"That should be all of the screws from that area," he said, making another weak attempt at a smile for them all before tugging his gloves off and wiping the moisture from his face again.

Amy and Tails both floundered in awe at him. That had taken no time at all, and though he was sweating, this new stranger – or, uh, Shadow – had done it all so swiftly and easily. It was quite remarkable to suddenly have someone who must surely have been a superior come in and actually request to complete their work. And without even asking _why_ they wanted those spare parts, merely accepting the task and getting on with it without question…

And although it was still quite alarming to the others, to Sonic it was nothing short of impressive. Whoever this guy was he was obviously a dedicated worker, if a little stiff. _Ah well. He'd probably get along great with Knuckles._

This time the thumbs up from the blue hedgehog was not a gesture of direction, Shadow found, but accompanying a bright and this time genuine smile. "Great job! That's a really big help to us, thanks a lot!" he announced, happily.

Shadow had never received that kind of praise until now. He smiled widely, clearly delighted to have been of help.

A sudden thought struck Tails, then, and on a whim he stepped forward from the other two and offered Shadow a bright smile as well. "… As we've done all the allotted work for the morning, now's the time when we go and get lunch," he explained. "You can join us if you want to, we can show you around the lunch hall."

"Yeah, that's a great idea! Then maybe we can get to know you a little more!" Amy added. He'd been so nice in helping them, after all, it was only polite to offer. That, and she was terribly curious about this dark, mysterious stranger.

Lunch hall? It was one of many places the Doctor had apparently neglected to even tell him about. Probably because Shadow still hadn't quite adjusted to eating much yet. Nonetheless, he was delighted that they had asked him to accompany them elsewhere on board and were even willing to take him to new places, as though they were accepting him, as though he was becoming a friend. "I- I would really like that," he replied, smiling.

By now, it was clear to Sonic that Shadow did not pose an immediate threat. There was therefore no reason to be aggressive and threatening again, and Tails' suggestion had been a good one. But before they started taking him around places and letting him POTENTIALLY become one of them, Sonic had to make absolutely sure that Shadow wasn't going to cause them any problems.

Time to take the friendlier route of inquisition.

"Hold your horses there, bud," he then interjected, stepping up beside Tails and fixing Shadow with a more suspicious look. "Eggman didn't order you to do this, did he?" he asked, tipping his head a little to the side and watching Shadow intently for any change of expression. "Seems kinda odd that we _all_ saw you hangin' around with him a couplea days ago, yet now you're here, doing work for us. What gives?"

Shadow's fur prickled, alarmed at Sonic's sudden change in tone It made sense for him to ask those questions though, he supposed, and so he answered as best he could. "I was not asked to do anything, actually. I was at a loss this morning when he told me he wasn't going to be around for a while. The Doctor has already shown me around much of this ship… So, I'm under the assumption that for now, he is happy to let me do as I please until he comes back to me with further instructions."

Sonic was not entirely convinced by this. It sounded too simple to him- but then, if Shadow was the naïve newbie lackeyhog he seemed to be…

"Having me around seems to be satisfying whatever goal the Doctor has in mind," Shadow added. He'd been able to sense Sonic's suspicion and really didn't want him to become aggressive again. "But he said nothing about interaction with others here. If you don't mind me saying so, I find it more interesting here with the three of you, than being taken on tour by him."

And that was yet another surprising little twist. "So, what," Sonic joked, "you're a tourist?"

"I… For now, yes." This made Sonic laugh. Shadow, a bit embarrassed, quickly continued. "But- But soon I will be doing other things, too."

"Other things like what, huh?"

Shadow held his nerve even when his heartrate began to pick up. Was this what Eggman felt when he kept asking questions? It wasn't nice. "Apparently I am some sort of helper? I don't know, exactly. The Doctor has been very vague."

Sonic arched another eyebrow at this. "Yeah, 'The Doctor' is pretty vague about a LOT of things, Shadow. You'll get used to it in no time. He's a secretive guy. Likes to keep us all-" again Sonic opened out his arms to the steel casing stretching for miles around them, "-in the dark."

"I… I can see that, yes."

Sonic didn't want to distrust Shadow, who seemed to be answering honestly so far. But there was something not quite right about all this. This guy's sudden appearance, sudden interest in them and in helping while not knowing ANYTHING about this place. Skin tanned as though he had experienced life outside of this place, yet he spoke as though he was foreign to any kind of… interaction, conversation with others at all. Furry, just like a hedgehog, and yet with the innocence and lack of awareness as a newly built android.

All that Sonic could decide upon was that Shadow was an enigma. A very interesting one, at that, and one which they could maybe sort of trust for now.

"… Shouldn't we do this kinda thing over lunch?" Amy then asked, giving Sonic a sharp and totally subtle I'm-very-hungry jab of her elbow.

Tails nodded, thinking about his own rumbling tummy. "It might be more appropriate, as it is quite hot here still."

"Aaagh alright, alright already, we'll go get lunch! Shadow, like these two said, you're more than welcome to come along!"

Shadow felt utterly relieved, as though he'd just passed a difficult test. "Thank you," he said graciously, smiling at each of them in turn in gratitude. He then stepped forward in acceptance of their offer of lunch, and once the equipment had been securely locked away all four of them headed toward the lunch hall… though not without some modicum of awkward lingering between them as they went.


	7. Chapter 7

Not quite knowing how to talk to Shadow yet, the three friends chatted tentatively on their way to the lunch hall. The only small talk Shadow had managed to initiate himself was simply, "Do they serve toast in this hall?", and when the answer had been affirmative, though not without odd looks from Amy and Sonic, Shadow had resumed his awkward silence.

Here, Shadow was far away from the Doctor's world of stability. Though it had been of Shadow's own will, leaving the consistency of routine and being told what to do was no less daunting, and Shadow was nervous as he walked with these almost-strangers, wondering how on earth he fit into their group – and if he even fit in at all. At least with the Doctor he knew where he stood, unlike now, where everything felt awkward and slightly scary.

But despite his nerves, Shadow was privately very happy from having helped them, and subsequently being allowed to join them- invited, even, like a dinner guest. He just wished they would trust him a little more, and that he had the confidence to assert his place among them.

The lunch hall was a core part of the Battery. This was essential, as it had to be big enough to house at least a few hundred workers at any given time and be easily accessible from most parts of the ship.

It was remarkably clean in there. Sparkling, even, with floors continually being polished by the same little robots Shadow always saw cleaning the hallway. They scuttled between the workers quickly, small and with just enough intelligence to avoid any physical interaction with the army of feet above them. The windows inside indicated that the hall was on the edge of the ship, facing the sprawl of sea ahead of the battery. There were even huge glass doorways leading out onto a patio probably large enough to fit another hundred people at a time.

In stark contrast to the base, it was a very pleasant environment indeed. Bustling with hundreds of hungry and occasionally aggressive labourers, but air conditioned and with the smell of well cooked food wafting through the entire hall. Shadow was impressed - just like Sonic had been, at first.

"Wow, it's really quiet in here today…" Amy murmured.

"Quiet?"

Tails gave a nod and 'mm' of confirmation. "There can't be more than three hundred people in here right now. And when you consider the sheer size of this place…"

Again, Shadow glanced around the giant lunch hall. The big groups, the white walls and glossy tables were all visible because of the lack of people. And yet there were still easily a few hundred people milling around getting their lunch.

"I see…" he answered quietly, as their little group joined the end of a queue for lunch.

"Eggman gives everybody a different schedule each week. Rotates us, usually, so there're people here at all times of the day," Tails continued to explain, once they'd grabbed their trays of rather bland looking food. Lunch was always a busy time of day in here, and Sonic gave a happy sigh of relief at how easy and lucky it had been getting a table, today. As Amy had said, it was one of those rare occasions when it was relatively quiet.

Shadow sat straight up, nibbling at his toast while Amy and Sonic simultaneously took to absolutely devouring their baked potatoes. Tails chuckled to the side of them, neatly severing his potato into equally sized portions. "Are you sure you didn't want anything?" he asked, giving Shadow a polite though still somewhat nervous look. "It was really hot up there and you were working hard… here, you can have some of mine if you want."

"No, I am fine." Shadow slowly pushed back the plate Tails offered to him. "Thank you."

Amy and Sonic simultaneously looked up at this, too, tuna mayo caught at the corners of their respective mouths and a very sceptical look crossing their faces.

Shadow blinked at them. "Is this a problem?"

Amy put down her fork and leaned forwards towards him, staring. Shadow's back straightened even more. Was he about to be shouted at again? "Shadow… you've just been doing work for us! In the heat! That kinda work builds up a good appetite for reason, y'know!" she insisted, incredulous.

"No, I am really fine, thank you." He was able to recognise that the food was appetising despite its bland appearance, but eating had yet to become a necessity. "I am happy just with toast."

Sonic couldn't stop eating for long enough to verbalise his surprise, but Amy looked a bit crestfallen and could only pick at her potato afterwards, guilty that they were all scoffing food In front of him. "…O…okay."

Tails looked less sceptical than the other two and more inquisitive. "Shadow- please forgive me for asking this, I know it'll probably come across really bad, but… where have you come from? We're all kinda curious."

"Yeah, stranger, _where?_ Don't go Eggman on us either, we let you hang out with us so we gotta know!" Sonic then piped up, between mouthfuls of potato. Tails could only sigh softly, used to this kind of interjection.

It was not something Shadow had really thought about, not even independently. As far as he was concerned, his existence had properly begun from the moment the Doctor had released him from the chamber, still less than a month ago from now. It was impossible to think of a time before that because, as the Doctor had mentioned, all the old memories were gone. He liked to believe it was for a specific reason, though not one he had been made aware of yet.

As much as he wanted to be honest with his potential friends, Shadow hesitated on telling them what little he knew about himself. Until he could figure everything out for himself, it was better to be as vague as the Doctor had been. He didn't want to cause any kind of trouble, not when they were part of the Battery's development and already knew he was, if anything, on the Doctor's 'side'.

"I was created by Gerald Robotnik many years ago," Shadow finally answered. "He was the Doctor's grandfather. I am organic, that much I know, but unfortunately I cannot offer you much more than that. Are you aware of the space colony ARK?"

Tails gasped at that. "I… am pretty sure I've heard of it, yes," he then murmured, frowning in thought. Amy and Sonic looked at Shadow blankly, an obvious indication that they had no idea at all. Oh, wait- hadn't Knuckles mentioned it like, years ago? It was such a long time ago from now…

"I think I was there for some time," Shadow said, now talking just to the two-tailed fox. "But that is all I know, I'm afraid."

"Looks like the Doc enjoys keepin' you in the dark as much as he does us," Sonic grumbled. Shadow smiled a bit, nodding in agreement. Though he couldn't help feeling Sonic hadn't been making a joke.

They seemed satisfied by his answers, though Tails seemed to keep staring at him. Shadow was quiet for a few minutes as they finished their lunch, and by the time the three of them were leaning back against their chairs with empty plates in front of them, Shadow had a question to ask in return. Even though the Doctor hadn't said much, these three had seemed more than happy to discuss things with him.

"Is there a particular reason as to why it is so quiet here today?"

"Nah," Sonic answered easily, shrugging. "S'just luck, basically. One week we'll all be down in the base, working nine 'til nine, then the next we'll be up on the deck fixin' things, while everybody else is rotating shifts all around the place too. Sometimes like today we'll do split shifts, goin' around the ship doin' different things at different times."

"Oh." That sounded like a lot of work to be doing. Nine until nine? Shadow could barely handle a few hours of walking around each day before he fell gratefully into bed. "You must be quite used to it here, then."

Sonic laughed. "When ya don't have a choice, yeah, ya get used to it. And believe me, Shadow-" he paused to look him dead in the eyes –"I _hate_ it here."

Amy and Tails looked at each other before nodding in sombre agreement. "It's not just us, either," Sonic supplied for them. "Talk to anybody around here, and they'll either give you a great long spiel about the importance of their work - if they're scared you're some kind of inspector - or they'll just complain at you about all the shit Eggman puts us through."

The surprise of this felt like to Shadow like a smack in the face. He frowned, cross-referencing what he had been told by Emerl and the Doctor with Sonic's words and tone. Why was Sonic complaining so much? "But… you are being paid, are you not?" he reasoned.

Sonic snorted. "You are KIDDING, right?"

Even Amy and Tails looked completely stunned, holding their breath. Shadow's ears pricked backwards slightly when Sonic addressed him a little more aggressively. "If the Doc told you that we're bein' paid for all this, he's outright lying. None of us get a cent for any of this."

Shadow balked at Sonic's revelation. It made no sense at all when he considered what he'd been told before now. Why would they work here with no pay and in extreme conditions? Was it out of good will? Volunteering, just like Shadow had volunteered earlier? It didn't make any sense for them to be here without good reason!

As though reading Shadow's mind, Sonic supplied a snappy answer for him. He leaned forward across the table, lowering his voice somewhat so that Shadow had to lean forward, too. "When I told you that we don't have a choice here, Shadow, I _meant_ it."

The words were cold and hard and fell on Shadow like weights. Perhaps… perhaps the construction of the Battery was reason enough to have these people here, working on it without pay. Shadow couldn't fathom any other way in which it would be fair to have Sonic and Amy and Tails all working here for nothing. Hadn't the Doctor said the construction was for the good of mankind? The world outside was- it was ruined, as far as Shadow knew. So surely it was, if nothing else, better for people to be safe in the Battery than out there in ruins?

They stared at one another, Shadow speechless, Sonic allowing what he'd said to sink in. Tails reached out to gently pull on Sonic's shoulder, drawing back and preventing him from saying anything else, and just as Amy was going to suggest dessert a loud bell rang throughout the lunch hall. It was an indication that their specific lunch shift was over, and with a groan the three of them immediately stood up.

"Sorry, Shadow, we've gotta get back to work," Amy sighed, offering him an apologetic smile.

"Oh… right, of course," Shadow started, suddenly not quite sure what to do with himself. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany you here."

"It was no trouble! Really, it was _great_ having you helping us out. Makes such a change. Oh, Sonic, can you take my tray for me?" She smacked her tray into Sonic's tummy as he went to leave, only slightly winding him.

"H-HEY! What was that for?!" he yelped, but took her her tray anyway.

"Thanks!" She smiled broadly at him, and Sonic grumbled as he grudgingly went to deposit them with Tails, stifling giggles, following.

Shadow stood up, looking like he wanted to say something but struggling over the words. Amy's eyebrows lifted a little, inviting him to speak.

"I… I do not have many friends in this place," Shadow said eventually, quiet and shy. "So thank you for talking to me and answering my questions."

"Awww, really Shadow, it's been no trouble!" Amy insisted, bright and cheerful. She waited until Sonic and Tails returned moments later, and then asked them, "Haven't you guys enjoyed having Shadow around?"

"It's certainly been a nice change from the norm," Tails agreed, smiling. Shadow seemed to give a breath of relief hearing it, but looked over to Sonic, tensing slightly again. He was aware that he was the outsider in this, even now, even after helping them and joining them for lunch. Shadow was coming to realise that so long as he was with the Doctor, and the three of them worked under his rule, it was likely that they wouldn't ever properly connect.

Sonic seemed so angry over everything and so sceptical of Shadow. It was impossible to tell whether or not Sonic truly liked him, too, which Shadow assumed to be the other key factor aside from trust in attaining friendship. And yet he was the one who'd initially invited Shadow over…

Understanding the complexities of friendships and interacting with those of a different level was more difficult that Shadow could've ever anticipated.

Sonic was rubbing his tummy a bit from he'd been so cruelly jabbed, but he came to smile at Shadow along with the other two. "You may be a lackeyhog, Shadow, but your help was awesome. For now though, we've really gotta get going."

L…lackeyhog? These names, questions and looks Sonic kept throwing at him made it even more difficult to determine his position. "Will- will you be working down at the base again?" he asked quickly, unable to suppress the certain note of hope. He was about to lose his only connection to the workers, and a chance at genuine friendship. And he still had so many questions, and their time had been so limited, and-

Sonic shook his head. "Nah, Eggman has split us up for the rest of the day, and we haven't had our schedule yet for the rest of the week." He could tell that Shadow was disappointed by this, from the way his ears pinned back and he glanced down just briefly.

"Ah."

"But hey, if you can find us, maybe we'll be able to hang out again!" Sonic offered, confidently and with another thumbs up.

Shadow brightened immediately. For all the names and assumptions Sonic seemed to pin on him, it was kind of him to suggest they meet again, and gave Shadow the hope he'd wanted that they'd be able to see each other again. "I… will do my best. Thank you again for your hospitality," he said, nodding to each of them. His eyes lingered on Sonic's, red and green opposite each other, about to go their separate ways. But it was somehow a comfortable look. A sort of mutual understanding, almost, that was passing between them in those few seconds. _I don't know you, but you're interesting. And you may be helpful to me, so for now, I'm going to trust you._

Finally Sonic nodded back, the smile curling into a toothy, and what would later be known to Shadow as trademark, grin. "Catch ya later, stranger."

Faced with the backs of pink, orange and blue as they left the hall, Shadow once again found himself at a slight loss while he watched them walk away. Their invitation to 'hang out' had now expired, and with disappointment, Shadow decided he may as well explore a little before returning home. Working up there had been more tiring than he'd thought, and he had a hell of a lot to think about. A casual walk around would hopefully help him clear his head.

He had slightly more of an idea of where he stood with Sonic, Tails and Amy, and they had shown friendly like qualities to him in their invitation to lunch, and in the smiles and praise they'd given him throughout the morning. Feeling that Sonic was the leader, Shadow somehow knew that his fate as their friend depended on the blue hedgehog.

He really hoped he'd see them again soon. For all the anxiety it had brought him, hanging out had been a fun experience. And Shadow did so dearly want some friends in this otherwise lonely Battery.

* * *

"You're back early," Emerl noted, surprised to see the dark hedgehog appear at the kitchen doorway.

Shadow slumped down at the dinner table, looking about as tired as he felt. Emerl watched from the other end as the hedgehog's head lulled and his eyelids flickered between open and closed. "I am exhausted," Shadow told him softly, finally settling on keeping his eyes open and his head as upright as he could manage. It was barely 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and he was ready for bed.

"Yes, the base is exhausting. Did you have a good day?"

Shadow smiled. "I did." He looked to be collecting his thoughts, or perhaps simply absorbing the comfort of sitting in a chair. "I was able to meet some new people, and I helped them. I even met two hedgehogs, as a matter of fact."

This came as quite a surprise to the droid, whose eyes flickered as if blinking quickly. It stood from the table and went to make Shadow some well earned toast. "That was brave of you. Usually the workers prefer to avoid those who work for the Doctor." Emerl paused, and then continued quietly, "I am unable to converse with them as they assume I will attack them."

"Yes... they have a great aversion to him," Shadow said, scowling as he thought back to it. Sonic's aggression regarding Eggman had been on his mind all day and was part of why he was so exhausted now. "I don't understand. They seem to resent him for making them work, and the Doctor does not pay them, but you told me they have no prospects in the outside world, so... presumably it is better that they are here and not outside?" He'd turned in his chair to ask Emerl directly, who stood by the counter waiting for the toaster to pop.

"That's right," it said. "Nobody wants to work for free, but they don't have a choice. They will die if they are left outside. There's nothing out there for anyone."

Shadow, utterly relieved that his deductions were correct, sighed. "Sonic said they didn't have a choice, too."

The clang of metal against the wooden kitchen counter was countered by the loud pop of the toaster, and Shadow carried on chatting. "He sounded so angry about everything, though. It's a struggle to understand the situation, when I am told one thing by one person, and then something different by somebody else." The dark hedgehog dipped his head down into his palm, rubbing at his temples. "It's enough to give you a headache."

"So, who did you meet?" Emerl asked, after a long while of slowly spreading toast. It sounded sort of hesitant.

"I met a group of three workers who I had seen around frequently. Sonic and Amy, both of whom were hedgehogs, and then Tails, a fox."

There was another clang of metal, and Shadow noticed this time that Emerl seemed to have slumped into the counter, supporting itself with both hands against it. "Are you... alright?" he asked, immediately getting to his feet.

"Yes, I am fine. Sorry." Emerl turned and handed Shadow his plate. They seated themselves once again, and the scene was exactly the same as it had been that very morning.

"It was so strange. Foxes are known for only having one tail, but Tails had two. Do such varieties really exist?"

Emerl was still and silent, as though it had been glazed over in concrete. The book it had picked up from the table dropped right out of its hands and onto the floor. Emerl looked down at itself, and as he assumed it to be thinking Shadow said nothing, waiting.

An answer never came. Suddenly the lights behind Emerl's eyes went out, and it slumped again like it had done against the counter. Its body was big and chunky, well-built and sturdy, and it crashed noisily against the table as though it was falling apart.

"Emerl?" Shadow called out to it, wondering if it had lost its power. Just as he was about to get up again to try and help, Emerl's eyes came back on, and it straightened up immediately.

The droid glanced around, its reflexes sharpened after its brief power surge. When it focussed on the dark hedgehog again, Shadow noticed that Emerl's LED eyes had changed colour. Now the light was a kind of amber, the same shade as the rest of its casing. Standby, maybe.

Emerl's joints clicked as it righted itself, and almost as though it was speaking with a different voice it then said, softly, "Sorry about that. It happens from time to time." Like it was restarting itself, Emerl's eyes turned blue again, going from standby to 'on'.

Shadow couldn't help giving a breathy laugh, relieved. Really, if the robot had broken down in front of him Shadow would probably have called it a day and jumped straight into bed. He didn't have the energy to deal with a metal meltdown on top of everything else that had happened today.

"I thought I was going to have to fix y-"

"Would you like to visit the Hot Shelter sometime?" Emerl asked him, completely out of the blue.

It was effective in silencing the dark hedgehog. He stared, wondering if he had misheard, but Emerl continued on with fierce enthusiasm.

"I can take you there tomorrow if you like. I think you would find it very interesting. If you have no plans we can go in the morning."

Shadow knew he was supposed to be excited by this, but instead he felt mildly worried at Emerl's sudden change. He hesitated. "I... I don't know. Didn't you say it was home to the Doctor's private projects?"

Fervently Emerl shook its head. "He will probably show you at some point. I think you would get a lot out of going there, Shadow. I can take you there myself. Tomorrow, we can go."

Tired as he was, Shadow couldn't deny that the Hot Shelter sounded like a hugely interesting place. But it concerned him that one, the Doctor hadn't mentioned it, and two, Emerl had so suddenly wanted him to go. Was it some kind of malfunction? But, Emerl didn't appear to be acting strangely in any other way. It was just odd that it seemed so desperate for them to go there.

I'm probably just overthinking things due to being so tired, Shadow decided. This morning I wouldn't have dreamed of passing up such an opportunity. "All.. all right then. It will certainly give me something to do tomorrow."

"You'll feel much better after a good night of sleep. And you sounded like you really wanted to go after I mentioned it." Emerl was incapable of smiling, but somehow, Shadow felt that if it could, it would. "I would not be a good friend if I didn't show you around," the droid added. "It is lonely when you are stuck here by yourself."

This absolutely caught Shadow's attention. "You consider yourself my friend?"

"Of course."

Well, that sold it to the dark hedgehog. With a bright smile which betrayed his exhaustion, Shadow accepted. He couldn't help feeling as though he was somehow going behind the Doctor's back doing this, couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about it. But Emerl seemed ever so happy and, when it continued to read its book and normality returned to their dinner table, Shadow was overwhelmed in the warm, enveloping sensation of having made a friend.

"Thank you, Emerl."

Grateful he had something to look forward to in the morning, and a new friend to help him around the ship, going to bed early suddenly didn't seem so bad.


End file.
